Dr. Boris Groß Wins Goldener Korrekturstift
Post-doc Dr. Boris Groß has won the “Goldener Korrekturstift” (Gold Correction Pen) for his work as a teaching assistant in Physik II für Biologen this past spring semester. The prize is awarded each semester by the student group “Fachgruppe 14” to the assistant who receives the best student evaluations in a required physics lecture. Congratulations to Boris for a job well done!
Paper Reporting Cantilever Magnetometry of Skyrmions Published
On the 22nd, our paper entitled, Stabilized Skyrmion Phase Detected in MnSi Nanowires by Dynamic Cantilever Magnetometry, was published in Nano Letters as an ASAP Article. The paper presents measurements of dynamic cantilever magnetometry showing an enhanced skyrmion lattice phase extending from around 29 K down to at least 0.4 K in single MnSi nanowires (NWs). Although recent experiments on two-dimensional thin films show that reduced dimensionality stabilizes the skyrmion phase, our results are surprising given that the NW dimensions are much larger than the skyrmion lattice constant. Furthermore, the stability of the phase depends on the orientation of the NWs with respect to the applied magnetic field, suggesting that an effective magnetic anisotropy, likely due to the large surface-to-volume ratio of these nanostructures, is responsible for the stabilization. The compatibility of our technique with nanometer-scale samples paves the way for future studies on the effect of confinement and surfaces on magnetic skyrmions. The experiments were led here in Basel by Ph.D. student Andrea Mehlin and former post-doctoral researcher Prof. Fei Xue (now a PI at the High Magnetic Field Laboratory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences), who initiated the project. The NW samples were grown by the group of Prof. Song Jin at the University of Wisconsin.
Prof. Poggio in Munich
Prof. Poggio attended the Spin Mechanics 3 conference in Munich, Germany from the 22nd to the 26th. The conference addressed the physics of interactions between spin angular momenta and mechanical degrees of freedom. Research related to these questions is spread across different areas of modern solid-state physics, including magnetism, spintronics, materials science, spectroscopy, nano-electromechanical systems, and scanning probe microscopy. Prof. Poggio gave the opening talk of the conference entitled, “Measuring nanometer-scale spin systems by ultrasensitive cantilever magnetometry”.
Bike Tour in Alsace
On Sunday the 14th, the group went on a bicycle tour of nearby Alsace, France. We enjoyed cycling the beautiful countryside, a hearty lunch, various stops for repairs, a short Frisbee break, and — to top it off — an generous wine sampling. Thanks to Ben Herzog, Marcus Wyss, and Andrea Mehlin for organizing a great outing!
Ph.D. Student Gives QSIT Lunch Seminar
On the 4th, Ph.D. student Andrea Mehlin gave a talk about her latest research as part of the QSIT Lunch Seminar at ETH Zürich. Her presentation was entitled, “Stabilized skyrmion phase detected in MnSi nanowires by dynamic cantilever magnetometry”.