No exotic physics needed: A new formation mechanism of skyrmions inside magnets

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Skyrmions, in which electron spins inside a magnet are arranged like vortices, are a key structure in next-generation spintronics technology. KAIST researchers have shown that skyrmions can form using only the fundamental physical interactions within magnets, without requiring special physical conditions.

This finding, published in the journal Physical Review Letters, expands the possibility of realizing skyrmions in a wide range of magnetic materials and suggests new potential for developing next-generation ultra-low-power information devices with data storage densities tens to hundreds of times higher than current technologies.

A research team led by Professor Se Kwon Kim from the Department of Physics has proposed a new theoretical framework showing that vortex-like magnetic structures can naturally emerge solely through magnetoelastic coupling—the interaction between magnetism and lattice structure.

The team demonstrated that the interaction between spins (the intrinsic magnetic property of electrons) and lattice deformation (the slight distortion of atomic arrangements) alone can lead to the spontaneous formation of vortex-like magnetic structures.

Why skyrmions matter for devices

In particular, skyrmions—vortex-like spin structures found inside magnetic materials—are extremely small and highly stable, making them promising candidates for ultra-high-density, low-power information devices. However, until now, forming such structures was believed to require specific physical conditions such as crystal asymmetry or strong spin-orbit coupling.

The researchers theoretically showed that even without such special conditions, magnetoelastic coupling, which naturally occurs in most magnetic materials, is sufficient to generate a structure in which skyrmions and antiskyrmions are alternately arranged.

Role of magnetoelastic coupling explained

Magnetoelastic coupling refers to the phenomenon in which magnetism (spin) and lattice deformation influence each other, and it is a fundamental physical property present in nearly all magnetic materials.

The team showed that when this coupling becomes sufficiently strong, the original ground state—where magnetization is uniformly aligned—becomes unstable and transitions into a new vortex-like ordered state.

In this process, they proposed a new mechanism in which spin tilting and lattice distortion occur simultaneously, forming a chiral spin texture composed of alternating skyrmions and antiskyrmions.

Professor Se Kwon Kim explained, "This study demonstrates that skyrmion-like magnetic structures can form even without specific or exotic interactions. It is particularly meaningful in that it suggests the possibility of realizing such structures in two-dimensional magnetic materials, where research is currently very active."

Publication details

Gyungchoon Go et al, Magnetoelastic Coupling-Driven Chiral Spin Textures: A Skyrmion-Antiskyrmion-like Array, Physical Review Letters (2026). DOI: 10.1103/5csz-pw7x. On arXiv: DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2509.15511

Journal information: Physical Review Letters , arXiv

Key concepts

MagnetismThermal properties2-dimensional systemsCrystalline systems

Provided by The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)