Energy Storage via Topological Spin Textures

Phys Rev Lett. 2018 Sep 21;121(12):127701. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.121.127701.

Abstract

We formulate an energy-storage concept based on the free energy associated with metastable magnetic configurations. Despite the active magnetic region of the battery being electrically insulating, it can sustain effective hydrodynamics of spin textures, whose conservation law is governed by topology. To illustrate the key physics and potential functionality, we focus here on the simplest quasi-one-dimensional case of planar winding of the magnetic order parameter. The energy is stored in the metastable winding number, which can be injected electrically by an appropriately tailored spin torque. Because of the nonvolatility and the endurance of magnetic systems, the injected energy can be stored essentially indefinitely, with the topological charge cycles that do not degrade over time.