HYMMS – Hybrid chiral Molecule-Magnetic Systems

Chirality is the property of an object that its mirror image cannot be made to coincide with the original by rotation, such as the right and left hands. Chirality is important in molecules, but also in magnetic materials. The coupling between chiral molecules and chiral magnetic structures is predicted theoretically, but has not yet been studied experimentally. Challenges include designing the right molecules and addressing the individual molecules on the magnetic material. HYMMS aims to address these challenges.

When individual chiral molecules are deposited on microscopically thin diamond tips, the chiral magnetic structures can be manipulated and measured simultaneously. These results could lead to entirely new electronic devices. For example, novel data storage devices could be achieved with a much smaller size, since the number of "bits" per area would be much higher. In addition, the speed could be optimized, resulting in low energy consumption. Furthermore, the stability of the chiral magnetic structures then guarantees stable storage.