Phys.org January 18, 2021
Using magnetic insulators to achieve long-range transport of spins has proved highly challenging. Researchers at UCLA resorted to topological spin textures rather than spins themselves for the purpose of long-range transport. The magnetic hedgehog is one type of topologically protected spin texture that generically exits in three-dimensional magnets. The researchers showed that the hedgehog current is a well conserved quantity and can be explored to achieve long-range transport in magnetic insulators. The study is based on the theoretical construct topological conservation law, which allowed the researchers to leverage the idea of hydrodynamics of topological spin textures. The study points to a practical potential in utilizing hedgehog flows for long-range neutral signal propagation or manipulation of skyrmion textures in three-dimensional magnetic materials…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
In a three-dimensional magnetic insulator, deconfined magnetic hedgehogs and antihedgehogs are driven to travel oppositely, resulting in a net hedgehog current that could achieve long-range transport. Credit: Zou, Zhang & Tserkovnyak, PRL (2021)