Curvilinear One-Dimensional Antiferromagnets

Spatially reconfigurable antiferromagnetic states in topologically rich free-standing nanomembranes

Antiferromagnets hosting real-space topological textures are promising platforms to model fundamental ultrafast phenomena and explore spintronics. However, they have only been epitaxially fabricated on specific symmetry-matched substrates, thereby preserving their intrinsic magneto-crystalline order. This curtails their integration with dissimilar supports, restricting the scope of fundamental and applied investigations. Here we circumvent this limitation by designing detachable crystalline antiferromagnetic nanomembranes of α-Fe2O3. First, we show-via transmission-based antiferromagnetic vector mapping-that flat nanomembranes host a spin-reorientation transition and rich topological phenomenology. Second, we exploit their extreme flexibility to demonstrate the reconfiguration of antiferromagnetic states across three-dimensional membrane folds resulting from flexure-induced strains. Finally, we combine these developments using a controlled manipulator to realize the strain-driven non-thermal generation of topological textures at room temperature. The integration of such free-standing antiferromagnetic layers with flat/curved nanostructures could enable spin texture designs via magnetoelastic/geometric effects in the quasi-static and dynamical regimes, opening new explorations into curvilinear antiferromagnetism and unconventional computing.

Fundamentals of Curvilinear Ferromagnetism: Statics and Dynamics of Geometrically Curved Wires and Narrow Ribbons

Low-dimensional magnetic architectures including wires and thin films are key enablers of prospective ultrafast and energy efficient memory, logic, and sensor devices relying on spin-orbitronic and magnonic concepts. Curvilinear magnetism emerged as a novel approach in material science, which allows tailoring of the fundamental anisotropic and chiral responses relying on the geometrical curvature of magnetic architectures. Much attention is dedicated to magnetic wires of Möbius, helical, or DNA-like double helical shapes, which act as prototypical objects for the exploration of the fundamentals of curvilinear magnetism. Although there is a bulk number of original publications covering fabrication, characterization, and theory of magnetic wires, there is no comprehensive review of the theoretical framework of how to describe these architectures. Here, theoretical activities on the topic of curvilinear magnetic wires and narrow nanoribbons are summarized, providing a systematic review of the emergent interactions and novel physical effects caused by the curvature. Prospective research directions of curvilinear spintronics and spin-orbitronics are discussed, the fundamental framework for curvilinear magnonics are outlined, and mechanically flexible curvilinear architectures for soft robotics are introduced.

New Dimension in Magnetism and Superconductivity: 3D and Curvilinear Nanoarchitectures

Traditionally, the primary field, where curvature has been at the heart of research, is the theory of general relativity. In recent studies, however, the impact of curvilinear geometry enters various disciplines, ranging from solid-state physics over soft-matter physics, chemistry, and biology to mathematics, giving rise to a plethora of emerging domains such as curvilinear nematics, curvilinear studies of cell biology, curvilinear semiconductors, superfluidity, optics, 2D van der Waals materials, plasmonics, magnetism, and superconductivity. Here, the state of the art is summarized and prospects for future research in curvilinear solid-state systems exhibiting such fundamental cooperative phenomena as ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, and superconductivity are outlined. Highlighting the recent developments and current challenges in theory, fabrication, and characterization of curvilinear micro- and nanostructures, special attention is paid to perspective research directions entailing new physics and to their strong application potential. Overall, the perspective is aimed at crossing the boundaries between the magnetism and superconductivity communities and drawing attention to the conceptual aspects of how extension of structures into the third dimension and curvilinear geometry can modify existing and aid launching novel functionalities. In addition, the perspective should stimulate the development and dissemination of research and development oriented techniques to facilitate rapid transitions from laboratory demonstrations to industry-ready prototypes and eventual products.

Nematic shells: new insights in topology- and curvature-induced effects

Within the framework of continuum theory, we draw a parallel between ferromagnetic materials and nematic liquid crystals confined on curved surfaces, which are both characterized by local interaction and anchoring potentials. We show that the extrinsic curvature of the shell combined with the out-of-plane component of the director field gives rise to chirality effects. This interplay produces an effective energy term reminiscent of the chiral term in cholesteric liquid crystals, with the curvature tensor acting as a sort of anisotropic helicity. We discuss also how the different nature of the order parameter, a vector in ferromagnets and a tensor in nematics, yields different textures on surfaces with the same topology as the sphere. In particular, we show that the extrinsic curvature governs the ground state configuration on a nematic spherical shell, favouring two antipodal disclinations of charge +1 on small particles and four +1/2 disclinations of charge located at the vertices of a square inscribed in a great circle on larger particles.