Skyrmion

A skyrmion is an quantum entity in atomic physics that can occur in some materials like solids and Bose–Einstein condensates. They are made up from a persistent vortex that is a quantum superposition of baryons and resonance states. These vortices behave like particles but are not. They are called quasiparticles and have mass just like a real particle. ^[1]

They were first though of mathematically by the British scientist Tony Skyrme in 1962 and named after him in 1982. In 2009 physicists from the Technical University of Munich were able to create and see skyrmions for the first time in a very cold magnetic solid.^[2]

Skyrmions are important in the emerging solid state technology of spintronics where they promise data storage at much higher densities than ever before.

1. ↑ Briain, Dara O (2014). 50 Visions of Mathematics. Oxford University Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-0-19-870181-1.
2. ↑ "TUM-Physicists discover new magnetic order: Skyrmion Lattice in a chiral Magnet" (Press release). Technical University of Munich. 2009-02-12.