Tiny magnetic structures called skyrmions could help pave the way for a new generation of computers that process information more like the human brain while using far less electricity. Although most people have never heard of skyrmions, these microscopic magnetic vortices may eventually play an important role in how computers store and process data. A study published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology provides new insights into how skyrmions behave and how scientists can control them.
The findings could help researchers develop smaller, more efficient computing systems and advance emerging quantum technologies. Most of the research was conducted at the Institute of Physics at Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz, Germany, with contributions from a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). "Skyrmions are small, magnetic vortices that can store information in a completely new way," explained Asle Sudbø, who leads NTNU's Centre for Quantum Spintronics (QuSpin).
Unlike conventional technologies, which require increasing amounts of space and energy to handle growing quantities of data, skyrmions could offer a much more efficient alternative. "Instead of the current technology, where we constantly need more space and energy to process data, skyrmions could make it possible to build much smaller and more energy-efficient data storage systems," explained Sudbø. Tiny Magnetic Vortices Could Enable Brain-Like Computers The potential applications of skyrmions extend well beyond conventional data storage.
They are also important to spintronics, which explores ways to use the magnetic properties of electrons in electronic devices, and to research involving topological quantum effects. One particularly promising possibility is the development of computers that operate in ways similar to biological brains. "These nanoscale vortices could help develop computers that resemble biological brains," said Sudbø.
Rather than relying on conventional transistor-based computing, such systems could use magnetism to process information. In principle, this approach could dramatically reduce electricity consumption, potentially allowing future computers to perform complex tasks with very little energy. Turning that possibility into practical technology, however, requires scientists to understand exactly how skyrmions behave and how to manipulate them reliably.
The latest research represents an important advance toward that goal. Scientists Film Magnetic Skyrmion Lattices Melting for the First Time Skyrmions do not always exist as isolated magnetic structures. Under certain conditions, they organize themselves into repeating patterns known as lattices, resembling the orderly arrangement of atoms in a crystal, but on a much smaller scale.
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