Topology and Dynamics in Magnetic Metamaterials

Project title: Topology and Dynamics in Magnetic Metamaterials
Main applicant: Vassilios Kapaklis, Division of Materials Physics

Advanced lithographic processing has enabled fabrication of lattices of patterned ferroic materials – magnetic metamaterials – comprised of sub-μm magnetic elements. Fascinating emergent behaviour is realized taking advantage of interactions between individual elements, creating a basis for new functionality. The collective new properties differ strikingly from those of their constituent components, being defined by the geometrical arrangement of the elements, while the dynamic response can be studied by activation with magnetic fields or temperature. Due to the constrained dimensions of these elements, topological defects such as solitons, vortices and monopoles start playing an increasingly important role. The emergence and dynamics of these topological defects, is further influenced by the stray field interactions between elements in the lattices, allowing for a direct coupling of internal and external length- end energy-scales, with respect to the element spatial extension. Here, we aim to explore the role of topology on the element dynamics and collective metamaterial properties. Such a study will enable to custom-tailored design of new magnetic metamaterials and devices.