Researchers have just announced a new method for creating magnetic skyrmion bubbles at room temperature. The bubbles, a physics phenomenon thought to be an option for more energy-efficient and compact electronics, can be created with simple equipment and common materials.

An unusual magnetic effect has been discovered in nanolayers of an oxide of lanthanum and manganese (LaMnO3). The research revealed an abrupt magnetic transition brought about by the slightest change in thickness of the layer.

As the demand grows for ever smaller, smarter electronics, so does the demand for understanding materials’ behavior at ever smaller scales. Physicists are building a unique optical magnetometer to probe magnetism at the nano- and mesoscale.