Magnetic skyrmions:Basic properties and potential applications

Magnetic skyrmions are particle-like topological magnetic textures that are potential information carriers in future spintronics.An enormous body of research confirms their existence in a broad range of magnetic materials since their first discovery in 2009.To date,magnetic skyrmions can not only be found in asymmetric systems but also in centrosymmetric ones.Notably,engineered magnetic multilayers are promising structures for skyrmion-based spintronics because they can stabilize small-sized skyrmions at room temperature and facilitate their electric manipulation.In this overview,we introduce the topological nature,their special properties,and nucleation methods of skyrmions,and show their potential for applications.Perspectives on skyrmionic devices and developments toward other,more three-dimensional particle-like magnetic nanostructures,are discussed at the end.