hopfyonsis considered a three-dimensional analogue skyrmionsare stable vortex-like field structures that can be considered quasiparticles. They have the potential to be used to create memory, qubits and logic elements for neuromorphic processors.

While skyrmions as topological structures in the flat two-dimensional version have long been known, hopfyons have remained elusive in practical applications. In most cases, these were known to science only as solutions to complex equations, and practical observations were limited to specially synthesized materials.

Observation of a Hopfian in an electron microscope / Photo: Fengshan Zheng

first observation

A joint research team has achieved a significant advance by demonstrating the stable formation of hops within the thickness of a plate made of iron and germanium. Philip Rybakov, lead author of the study and a researcher at the Department of Physics and Astronomy at Uppsala University in Sweden, emphasized the importance of the results obtained from both fundamental and applied perspectives.

Our results are important from both fundamental and applied perspectives, as they reveal a new bridge between experimental physics and abstract mathematical theory that may lead to hopes of finding applications in spintronics.
said Rybakov.

Understanding the functioning of various material components is crucial for the development of innovative materials and technologies of the future. The field of spintronics, which studies the spin of electrons, offers promising opportunities for combining the electrical and magnetic properties of electrons for applications such as new electronics, logic, and memory.

Why is this important?

Hopfions, with their three-dimensional nature, could potentially play an important role in the transition to the third dimension for various technologies built on magnetic skyrmions, such as trace memory, neuromorphic computing, and qubits, the fundamental unit of quantum information.

Acknowledging the novelty of the topic, Rybakov said: “Since the topic is new and many of its interesting properties have not yet been discovered, it is difficult to make predictions about their specific application in spintronics. However, it can be assumed that hopfions may be of great interest in the transition to the third dimension of almost all technologies developed on the basis of magnetic skyrmions: trace memory, neuromorphic computing and qubits (the basic unit of quantum information). Thanks to three-dimensionality, it has degrees of freedom and can therefore move in three dimensions instead of two.”

This revolutionary research opens new avenues for integrating hopfyons into electronic applications, providing a promising foundation for the future of spintronics and related technologies.