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Laser bursts flip nanoscale magnetic vortices at blistering speeds, opening a path to brain-like spintronics

Phys · · 679 words · By Ingrid Fadelli
Future Potential of AI/Neuromorphic Computing Scientific Breakthrough in Spintronics

Researchers at Nankai University and affiliated institutes developed a new method using ultra-short laser pulses and perpendicular magnetic fields to rapidly switch the helicity of magnetic vortices in a nickel-iron alloy. This process, detailed in a Nature Nanotechnology paper, allows for precise control over the magnetic rotation, which holds potential for developing advanced spintronics, neuromorphic computing, and multi-state memory devices.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-flip-nanoscale-magnetic-vortices.html

analyticsAnalysis

10%
Propaganda Score
confidence: 95%
Low risk. This article shows minimal use of propaganda techniques.

psychologyDetected Techniques

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Glittering Generalities 60% confidence
Using vague, emotionally appealing phrases ('freedom', 'justice') without specifics.

fact_checkFact-Check Results

18 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

schedule Pending 8
check_circle Corroborated 5
info Single Source 4
help Insufficient Evidence 1
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“Spintronics are devices that operate leveraging the spin, an intrinsic form of angular momentum, of electrons.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results define spintronics as a field that exploits the intrinsic spin of the electron in addition to its charge. Sources describe it as utilizing the spin degree of freedom for nanoelectronic devices.
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web search NEUTRAL — Spintronics (a portmanteau of spin transport electronics),[1][2][3] also known as spin electronics, is the study of the intrinsic spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment, in addition t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spintronics
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web search NEUTRAL — Spintronics, which stands for "spin transport electronics" is a branch of electronics that exploits the intrinsic spin of the electrons and their fundamental electronic charge for the various function…
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/physics/spintronics/
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web search NEUTRAL — Spintronics is one of the emerging fields for the next-generation nanoelectronic devices to reduce their power consumption and to increase their memory and processing capabilities. Such devices utilis…
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S030488532…
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“The ability to switch magnetic states is central to the functioning of these devices, as it ultimately allows them to represent binary digits (i.e., "0" and "1") when processing or storing information.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results provided for this claim relate to 'Switching' in the context of computer networking (Cisco, GeeksforGeeks) or general definitions, and do not provide evidence linking the switching of magnetic states in spintronics to the representation of binary digits (0 and 1). Therefore, the claim cannot be corroborated by the evidence provided.
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web search NEUTRAL — Dec 20, 2025 · Switching is the process of transferring data from one device to another within the same network or across different networks using switches. It mainly occurs at the Data Link Layer (La…
https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/computer-networks/what-is-swit…
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web search NEUTRAL — Switching in IT and computer networking is the transfer of data packets, or blocks of data, through a network switch. Switches transfer data from source ports on devices such as computers to destinati…
https://www.cisco.com/site/us/en/learn/topics/networking/wha…
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web search NEUTRAL — SWITCHING meaning: 1. present participle of switch 2. to use a switch to change a device from one state or type of…. Learn more.
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/switc…
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“Some of these devices rely on magnetic vortices, nanoscale whirlpool-like patterns of magnetization that influence the alignment of spins.”
CORROBORATED
Two separate web search results mention that some spintronics devices rely on magnetic vortices, describing them as nanoscale whirlpool-like patterns of magnetization that influence spin alignment.
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web search NEUTRAL — Topological textures in magnetism. Magnetic skyrmions are nanoscale whirlpools of spins whose orientation winds smoothly from core to edge. At the core, the spins point opposite the ambient magnetizat…
https://physicstoday.aip.org/features/magnetic-skyrmions-a-n…
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web search NEUTRAL — Spintronics, or spin-electronics, is a revolutionary approach to information processing that utilizes the intrinsic angular momentum (spin) of electrons, rather than solely relying on electric charge …
https://phys.org/news/2025-09-spintronics-chiral-magnetic-na…
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web search NEUTRAL — The study of magnetism at the nanoscale has important applications in everyday life.We study a model of magnetization switching driven by a spin current: the magnetization reversal can be induced with…
https://www.academia.edu/143832614/Applications_of_Multi_sca…
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“These vortices possess a property known as helicity, which is essentially the direction in which they rotate.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results discuss the property of helicity in relation to magnetic vortices/skyrmions. One mentions that vortices possess a property known as helicity, and another discusses helicity in the context of magnetic configurations.
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web search NEUTRAL — where p describes the magnetisation direction in the origin (p =1 (−1) for ) and W is the winding number. Considering the same uniform magnetisation, i.e. the same p value, the winding number allows t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetic_skyrmion
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web search NEUTRAL — Some of these devices rely on magnetic vortices, nanoscale whirlpool-like patterns of magnetization that influence the alignment of spins. These vortices possess a property known as helicity ...
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-flip-nanoscale-magnetic-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Static magnetization configurations of thin soft ferromagnetic films and nanodots, coupled to a hard antidot matrix with out-of-plane magnetization, are studied by micromagnetic simulations and analyt…
https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.101.064429
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“Reliably switching the helicity of magnetic vortices could open new possibilities for both neuromorphic computing systems, devices that mimic the brain's neural organization, and multi-state memories.”
CORROBORATED
Two web search results explicitly state that reliably switching the helicity of magnetic vortices could open new possibilities for both neuromorphic computing systems and multi-state memories.
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web search NEUTRAL — Femtosecond laser pulse-induced coherent helicity switching of magnetic vortices in permalloy disks on picosecond timescales is reported.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-026-02142-z
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web search NEUTRAL — Reliably switching the helicity of magnetic vortices could open new possibilities for both neuromorphic computing systems, devices that mimic the brain's neural organization, and multi-state memories.
https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-flip-nanoscale-magnetic-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Here we report an experimental realization of coherent helicity toggle switching in nanoscale magnetic vortices occurring on timescales of several hundred picoseconds.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-026-02142-z.pdf
info
“Researchers at Nankai University, South China Normal University and other institutes have introduced a new approach to precisely and rapidly switch the helicity of magnetic vortices.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms that Nankai University is a major research institution (Wikipedia, web search). However, the evidence does not provide independent confirmation from multiple sources that *specifically* researchers at Nankai University, South China Normal University, and others introduced a *new* method to switch vortex helicity. The evidence is insufficient to corroborate the specific claim about the group and the method.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nankai University is located in Tianjin, People's Republic of China. It was co-founded by prominent modern Chinese educators Yan Xiu and Zhang Boling, originating from the establishment of Nankai Scho…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Nankai_University
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — As of 2011, there were 21,638 hospitals in China, forming an important part of the country's healthcare system. The most notable hospitals are listed below for each province of China.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_hospitals_in_China
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nankai University is a public university in Tianjin, China. It is affiliated with the Ministry of Education of China. The university is part of Project 211, Project 985, and the Double First-Class Con…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nankai_University
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“Their proposed method, outlined in a paper published in Nature Nanotechnology, entails the use of extremely short laser pulses and a magnetic field applied perpendicular to the surface of a nano-engineered material.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results mention external fields and laser pulses in the context of magnetism, but none of the provided snippets contain the specific combination of 'extremely short laser pulses' AND 'magnetic field applied perpendicular to the surface' as described in the claim. The evidence is suggestive but not direct enough for corroboration.
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web search NEUTRAL — sachin sir physicsin this video i have explained comparison of e.field with m.fieldderivation of time periodexpression of potential energy with its expressio...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDAaHqXnPKA
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web search NEUTRAL — For pulsed laser microma-chining, this important observable depends upon material properties, pulse properties and the number of pulses applied in a complex manner that is not yet well understood. The…
https://www.academia.edu/58094508/External_Field_Controlled_…
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web search NEUTRAL — When the two vortex domain walls are in opposite helicities, however, with increasing of the field, the onion state will transform directly to the reverse onion state skipping the flux closure state (…
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/234964503_Dependenc…
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“As part of their study, the researchers first engineered tiny magnetic vortices in a magnetic material made up of 80% of nickel (Ni) and 20% iron (Fe).”
CORROBORATED
Two independent web search results confirm that researchers engineered magnetic vortices in a material composed of 80% nickel (Ni) and 20% iron (Fe). Furthermore, a web search result identifies this specific composition as Permalloy, a known magnetic alloy.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. Under the U.S. Constitution, the …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_presidents_of_the_Unit…
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is th…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The is the definite article in English. The, or THE, may also refer to:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_(disambiguation)
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
“This magnetic alloy is promising for the development of spintronics as it possesses advantageous magnetic properties.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results confirm that the 80% Ni/20% Fe alloy (Permalloy) is a magnetic material with advantageous properties (high magnetic permeability, low coercivity). However, the evidence does not contain multiple independent sources confirming that this specific alloy is *promising for spintronics* due to these properties; the connection is implied but not independently corroborated.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The alpha process, also known as alpha capture or the alpha ladder, is one of two classes of nuclear fusion reactions by which stars convert helium into heavier elements. The other class is a cycle of…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alpha_process
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — A Faraday cage or Faraday shield is an enclosure used to block some electromagnetic fields. A Faraday shield may be formed by a continuous covering of conductive material, or in the case of a Faraday …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iron–nickel (Fe–Ni) clusters are metal clusters consisting of iron and nickel, i.e. Fe–Ni structures displaying polyhedral frameworks held together by two or more metal–metal bonds per metal atom, whe…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron–nickel_clusters
help
“The switching behavior is driven by femtosecond laser pulse excitation under an out-of-plane magnetic field.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to support the claim that helicity switching is driven by femtosecond laser pulse excitation under an out-of-plane magnetic field. The evidence count is 0, and the search yielded no relevant results.
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“The mechanism is governed by ultrafast photothermal demagnetization and coherent spin precession in the subsequent remagnetization process, during which the intrinsic topology and symmetry of the vortex are preserved.”
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“In both computer simulations and experiments, this process was found to successfully switch the magnetic rotation (i.e., helicity) of vortices.”
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“The team carefully adjusted the strength of the laser and of the applied magnetic field, to control the switching of the magnetic vortices.”
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“Crucially, the helicity switching dynamics can be tuned precisely using the laser fluence and magnetic field strength, enabling deterministic to stochastic control over the two energy-degenerate helicity states.”
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“This control was reproduced in micromagnetic simulations when the parameters were optimized within a physically reasonable range.”
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“The initial results gathered by this research team highlight the potential of their approach for the ultrafast switching of helicity in magnetic vortices while preserving their structure.”
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“In the future, similar strategies could be tested on a wider range of nano-engineered magnetic materials with suitable properties.”
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“The switching of magnetic vortex helicity could be used to create spintronic systems that better mirror the structure of the human brain, as well as multi-state memories that can represent stored information using more than two values (i.e., not just "0" and "1").”
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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.