Researchers present experimental evidence of hopfion rings in a cubic chiral magnet
Researchers from Beijing University of Technology, South China University of Technology, Forschungszentrum Jülich and Uppsala University have reported the first experimental evidence of hopfions, which are magnetic spin structures predicted decades ago that have become a fascinating research topic in recent years.
The team used transmission electron microscopy to observe hopfions forming coupled states with skyrmion strings in B20-type FeGe plates. They provided a protocol for nucleating such hopfion rings, which they verified using Lorentz imaging and electron holography. The scientists' results are said to be highly reproducible and in full agreement with micromagnetic simulations.