Spins in Ultrathin Magnets: New Physics and Devices
Prof. Dr. Henk Swagten (Department of Applied Physics, Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands)

Already a few decades ago, it was discovered that the magnetization of ultrathin magnetic films may surprisingly point in a direction perpendicular to the film plane. Currently, these perpendicularly magnetized films are receiving enormous renewed interest in the field of spin-based electronics, for both fundamental new physics and appealing opportunities in nano-electronics.

In this talk, I will first review some of the key early developments related to spintronics and perpendicular materials. Then I will illustrate the recent attractiveness of these materials, focusing on some exciting discoveries when magnetic domains are involved. These includes the use of (1) electric fields acting on surface magnetic anisotropy, (2) Spin-Hall generated spin-currents from nonmagnetic layers, and (3) interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions from spin-orbit coupling. Although this interaction is so far poorly understood, it is believed to induce a chiral spin state, a specific turning sense of the magnetic moments. In the final part of the presentation, I will discuss the relevance of these chiral spin states for future nano-electronics, in particular in racetrack memory and in upcoming novel devices based on so-called skyrmions.