Crystal engineered with rare magnetic swirls may reshape data storage

Researchers at Florida State University have engineered a novel crystalline material exhibiting rare, skyrmion-like magnetic swirl patterns by combining two chemically similar but structurally distinct compounds: manganese–cobalt–germanium and manganese–cobalt–arsenic. This fusion creates “structural frustration” that translates into magnetic frustration, causing atomic spins to twist into cycloidal, skyrmion-like textures. These tiny magnetic swirls are significant because they can be manipulated with very low energy, making them promising for next-generation data storage, energy-efficient electronics, and quantum technologies. The team’s approach marks a shift from traditional methods that search for naturally occurring skyrmion materials to a predictive “chemical thinking” strategy that designs materials with desired magnetic textures. Using advanced neutron diffraction techniques and machine-learning tools, the researchers can now intentionally create and optimize complex spin structures, potentially enabling high-density, low-energy magnetic memory and fault-tolerant quantum computing. This method also offers a pathway to more affordable and scalable