Observation of Skyrmions in a Multiferroic Material

Abstract

Harnessing the Magnetoelectric Effect: Some multiferroic materials exhibit the so-called magnetoelectric effect, in which an external magnetic field can cause electric polarization and an electric field can cause magnetic order. This is important because the manipulation of magnetic structures by electric means is technologically highly desirable. Seki et al. (p. 198 ) discovered spin whirlpools called skyrmions in the multiferroic material Cu ₂ OSeO ₃ and observed a magnetoelectric coupling exerted by the skyrmions. The existence of skyrmions in an insulating magnetoelectric material holds promise for their future manipulation.