This book summarizes some of the most exciting theoretical developments in the topological phenomena of skyrmions in noncentrosymmetric magnetic systems over recent decades. After presenting pedagogical backgrounds to the Berry phase and homotopy theory, the author systematically discusses skyrmions in the order of their development, from the Ginzburg-Landau theory, CP1 theory, Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert theory, and Monte Carlo numerical approaches. Modern topics, such as the skyrmion-electron interaction, skyrmion-magnon interaction, and various generation mechanisms of the skyrmion are examined with a focus on their general theoretical aspects. The book concludes with a chapter on the skyrmion phenomena in the cold atom context. The topics are presented at a level accessible to beginning graduate students without a substantial background in field theory. The book can also be used as a text for those who wish to engage in the physics of skyrmions in magnetic systems, or as an introduction to the various theoretical methods used in studying current condensed-matter systems.

Magnetic skyrmions are particle-like objects described by localized solutions of non-linear partial differential equations. Up until a few decades ago, it was believed that magnetic skyrmions only existed in condensed matter as short-term excitations that would quickly collapse into linear singularities. The contrary was proven theoretically in 1989 and evidentially in 2009. It is now known that skyrmions can exist as long-living metastable configurations in low-symmetry condensed matter systems with broken mirror symmetry, increasing the potential applications possible. Magnetic Skyrmions and their Applications delves into the fundamental principles and most recent research and developments surrounding these unique magnetic particles. Despite achievements in the synthesis of systems stabilizing chiral magnetic skyrmions and the variety of experimental investigations and numerical calculations, there have not been many summaries of the fundamental physical principles governing magnetic skyrmions or integrating those concepts with methods of detection, characterization and potential applications. Magnetic Skyrmions and their Applications delivers a coherent, state-of-the-art discussion on the current knowledge and potential applications of magnetic skyrmions in magnetic materials and device applications. First the book reviews key concepts such as topology, magnetism and materials for magnetic skyrmions. Then, charactization methods, physical mechanisms, and emerging applications are discussed. - Covers background knowledge and details the basic principles of magnetic skyrmions, including materials, characterization, statics and dynamics - Reviews materials for skyrmion stabilization including bulk materials and interface-dominated multilayer materials - Describes both well-known and unconventional applications of magnetic skyrmions, such as memristors and reservoir computing

This brief reviews current research on magnetic skyrmions, with emphasis on formation mechanisms, observation techniques, and materials design strategies. The response of skyrmions, both static and dynamical, to various electromagnetic fields is also covered in detail. Recent progress in magnetic imaging techniques has enabled the observation of skyrmions in real space, as well as the analysis of their ordering manner and the details of their internal structure. In metallic systems, conduction electrons moving through the skyrmion spin texture gain a nontrivial quantum Berry phase, which provides topological force to the underlying spin texture and enables the current-induced manipulation of magnetic skyrmions. On the other hand, skyrmions in an insulator can induce electric polarization through relativistic spin-orbit interaction, paving the way for the control of skyrmions by an external electric field without loss of Joule heating. Because of its nanometric scale, particle nature, and electric controllability, skyrmions are considered as potential candidates for new information carriers in the next generation of spintronics devices.

"The book reviews all the aspects of recent developments in research on skyrmions, from the presentation of the observation and characterization techniques to the description of physical properties and expected applications. It will be of great use for all scientists working in this field." – Albert Fert, 2007 Nobel Laureate in Physics (from the Foreword) A skyrmion is a tiny region of reversed magnetization – quasiparticles since they are not present except in a magnetic state, and also give rise to physics that cannot be described by Maxwell’s equations. These particles are fascinating subjects for theoretical and experimental studies. Moreover, as a new type of magnetic domain structure with special topological structures, skyrmions feature outstanding magnetic and transport properties and may well have applications in data storage and other advanced spintronic devices, as readers will see in this book. Chapters address the relationships between physical properties of condensed matter, such as the AB effect, Berry phase effect, quantum Hall effect, and topological insulators. Overall, it provides a timely introduction to the fundamental aspects and possible applications of magnetic skyrmions to an interdisciplinary audience from condensed matter physics, chemistry, and materials science.

This is a sequel to the World Scientific volume edited by Gerald E Brown in 1994 entitled “Selected Papers, with Commentary, of Tony Hilton Royle Skyrme”. There has been a series of impressive developments in the application of the skyrmion structure to wide-ranging physical phenomena. The first volume was mainly focused on the rediscovery of the skyrmion in 1983 in the context of Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) and on its striking role in nuclear physics. Since 1994, skyrmions have been found to play an even greater role not only in various aspects of particle physics and astrophysics but also most remarkably in condensed matter physics. It is also proving to be fruitful in dense hadronic matter relevant to compact stars, a system difficult to access by other approaches. The recent discovery of holographic baryons in gravity/gauge duality which correspond to skyrmions in the infinite tower of vector mesons provides a valuable confrontation of string theory with nature, particularly in the regime of strong coupling that QCD proper has difficulty in accessing. This volume consists of contributions from the active researchers who have made important progress in these three areas of theoretical physics — condensed matter physics, nuclear and particle physics, and string theory.

1. Skyrmions and nuclei / R.A. Battye, N.S. Manton and P.M. Sutcliffe -- 2. Electromagnetic form factors of the nucleon in chiral soliton models / G. Holzwarth -- 3. Exotic baryon resonances in the Skyrme model / D. Diakonov and V. Petrov -- 4. Heavy-quark skyrmions / N.N. Scoccola -- 5. Skyrmion approach to finite density and temperature / B.-Y. Park and V. Vento -- 6. Half-skyrmion hadronic matter at high density / H.K. Lee and M. Rho -- 7. Superqualitons : baryons in dense QCD / D.K. Hong -- 8. Rotational symmetry breaking in baby skyrme models / M. Karliner and I. Hen -- 9. Spin and isospin : exotic order in quantum hall ferromagnets / S.M. Girvin -- 10. Noncommutative skyrmions in quantum hall systems / Z.F. Ezawa and G. Tsitsishvili -- 11. Skyrmions and merons in bilayer quantum hall system / K. Moon -- 12. Spin and pseudospin textures in quantum hall systems / H.A. Fertig and L. Brey -- 13. Half-skyrmion theory for high-temperature superconductivity / T. Morinari -- 14. Deconfined quantum critical points / T. Senthil [und weitere] -- 15. Skyrmion and string theory / S. Sugimoto -- 16. Holographic baryons / P. Yi -- 17. The Cheshire cat principle from holography / H.B. Nielsen and I. Zahed -- 18. Baryon physics in a five-dimensional model of hadrons / A. Pomarol and A. Wulzer