Curvilinear magnetism: fundamentals and applications

Extending 2D structures into 3D space has become a general trend in multiple disciplines including electronics, photonics, and magnetics. This approach provides means to enrich conventional or to launch novel functionalities by tailoring geometrical curvature and 3D shape. We study 3D curved magnetic thin films and nanowires where new fundamental effects emerge from the interplay of the geometry of an object and topology of a magnetic sub-system [1-4]. The lack of an inversion symmetry and the emergence of a curvature induced effective anisotropy and DMI are characteristic of curved surfaces, leading to curvature-driven magnetochiral responses and topologically induced magnetization patterning [5-7]. The possibility to tailor magnetic responses by geometry of the object is a new approach to material science, which allows to obtain a desired functionality of spintronic and spin-orbitronic devices yet without the need to rely on the optimization of the intrinsic material properties. The application potential of 3D-shaped magnetic thin films is currently being explored as mechanically shapeable magnetic field sensors [8] for automotive applications, magnetoelectrics for memory devices, spin-wave filters, high-speed racetrack memory devices as well as on-skin interactive electronics [9-11]. The magnetosensitive smart skins allow digitizing the bodily motion and offer new means of touchless manipulation of virtual objects based on the interaction with magnetic stray fields of small permanent magnets [9,11] but also with geomagnetic field [10]. The fundamentals as well as application relevant aspects of curvilinear magnetism will be covered in this presentation.

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