The video describes the basic idea and the social impact of the research projects led by SHINES. It portrays how this EFRC studies heat management and magnetism in devices, and briefly presents the life of young scholars who have been carrying out excellent work in these areas. This video is for the Life at the Frontiers of Energy Research Video Contest II at the 2019 DOE EFRC PIs’ meeting.

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The birth of magnetic skyrmions

The micromagentic simulation of the creation of a single Bloch-type skyrmion at zero (left) and finite (right) temperatures induced by the spin-transfer torque from a vertically injected polarized current. The real-space Chern number is calculated real-time. (paper link)

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Topological spin Hall effect

The quantum transport model of charge and spin through a Bloch-type magnetic skyrmion in a four-terminal Hall-effect measurement setup (left). The spin-current distribution and the first-order chemical potential distribution throughout the device are shown on the right panel. (paper link)

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Majorana zero modes

The local density of states distribution of a T-junction formed by a superconducting quantum-anomalous-Hall thin film. Majorana zero modes are formed at the terminals. (Figure done by Nima Djavid. arXiv link)

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Quantum transport using first-principles

The non-equilibrium electrostatic potential (left) and the orbital-density-of-state distribution (right) in a junction formed by a graphene nano-ribbon. The calculation is done by none-equilibrium Green’s function method combined with density-functional theory. (paper link)

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Full-band Boltzmann transport equation

The non-equilibrium distribution of a spin-orbit coupled material is obtained by solving the semi-classical Boltzmann transport equation. The collision integrals are calculated from a full band structure given by a first-principles calculation.

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