MDR Vacation Bursary Project: Magnetic Skyrmions in thin films
by Luke Goater
By Matthew Corcoran, undergraduate student , Faculty of Engineering and the Environment
I am an undergraduate student studying Mechanical engineering at the University of Southampton. I have just completed my third year of a four year masters course with an advanced materials theme. The chosen research field is micromagnetic simulations. The studied material is usually ferromagnetic and it is the magnetic moments of the material that are of interest with this type of research.
During my third year individual project I investigated magnetic Skyrmions in thin films. This research was carried out using Monte Carlo simulations: these simulations utilises random numbers in the main algorithm of the simulation, they work by random sampling of possible configurations to minimise the energy of a system. Skyrmions are topological stable spin textures, where the magnetic moments carried by the atoms form a special kind of vortex as is shown in the figure. The formation of Skyrmions is attributed to three competing energy terms on neighbouring lattice sites: Exchange, DMI, and Zeeman energy.
One image produced from the results from my project is shown above; the results from this simulation are consistent with other skyrmion simulations. From the image it can be seen that there are 22 skyrmions in the geometry. The centre of the skyrmions points in the opposite direction to the applied magnetic field, toward the reader. The vectors not grouped into a skyrmion have a lower total energy and tend to align in the direction of the applied field. The vectors on the boundary are aligned parallel to the boundary and rotate in an anticlockwise direction. The external magnetic field was 0.4 Tesla and the geometry was 100 nano meters in the x direction 100 meters in the y direction and 1 nano meter in the z direction. The mesh size was 50, 50 and 1 in the x, y and z directions respectfully. This research is being continued over the summer starting with an investigation into Skyrmion hysteresis using Southampton’s own Finmag simulation software.
There appears to be lots of scope for work to extend my summer project, including the exploration of the Skyrmions for data storage. This is an area of research that is just starting to emerge, and it is difficult to predict the range of possible applications at this stage.
Wikipedia for Smaller Museums
by Nicole Beale via Digital Humanities | Digital Humanities
Today, the Museums Association published the new issue of Museum Practice. This month the magazine focuses on Wikipedia, and I contributed an article providing practical advice for smaller museums. The journal is behind a paywall, but the Museums Association have kindly agreed to let me share a draft of the article here at the Digital Humanities blog. The final article …
Inaugural Lecture of Professor Catherine Pope: Why Medical Sociology Matters
by Alison Simmance via Work Thought Blog
Inaugural Lecture Catherine Pope, Professor of Medical Sociology 21 June 2013 | 17:30 – 20:00 Lecture programme: 5.30pm Tea & coffee; 6.00pm Inaugural Lecture; 7.00pm Drinks reception All welcome! RSVP at: http://catherinepopelecture.eventbrite.co.uk For further details, please contact Tim Lees (t.lees@southampton.ac.uk) Inaugural Abstract Medical Sociology is one of the most successful branches of Sociology, applying as it does […]
Recognising the role and contribution of the intermediate level workforce in healthcare
by Alison Fuller via Work Thought Blog
In the wake of the scandal about healthcare standards at the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust laid out in the Francis Report , the debate about the regulation and registration of the healthcare support workforce has been ratcheted up. The Times journalist Camilla Cavendish has been asked to undertake an independent review in to the […]
Seminar 3: Perspectives of Employers – Digital technologies and school-to-work transition
by Alison Simmance via Work Thought Blog
Seminar 3: Perspectives of Employers Digital technologies and school-to-work transition Thursday, 11th July, 4 to 6pm| Building 32, Room 2097 We are an interdisciplinary working group at the Work Futures Research Centre at Southampton University. Our aim is to explore the role of digital technology in the formation of learner identities and in school-to-work transitions. […]
World Environment Day 2013- Messages
by Alison Simmance
This year the University of Southampton joined the global community in celebration of World Environment Day (5th June 2013).
Guest speaker Chris Tyas from RSPB stimulated thought and debate on the latest developments of the RSPB Wallasea Island Coastal Project.
The project is a landmark conservation and engineering scheme for the 21st century, on a scale never before attempted in the UK and the largest of its type in Europe. The project will receive 4.5million tonnes of material excavated during the Crossrail operations in London to help shape Europe’s largest man-made nature reserve. The aim of this project is to combat the threats from climate change and coastal flooding by recreating the ancient wetland landscape of mudflats and saltmarsh, lagoons and pasture. The landmark project adopts a true multidisciplinary approach in relation to climate adaptation, coastal conservation and engineering.
An art exhibition, provided by local Year 10 school students, on the World Environment Day Theme Think.Eat.Save was also displayed at the event.
Overall Winner: Sandown Bay Academy; Runner Up: Henry Cort Community College; Best Presentation: Bitterne Park School; Peer-Assessment: Oasis Academy Lord’s Hill. All other exhibits: Carisbrooke College; Hamble Community College; King Richard School; Redbridge Community School; St George Catholic School; The Sholing Technology College; Upper Shirley High School; Woodlands Community College.
Presentation slides now available on Slide Share.
The University of Southampton’s multidisciplinary groups- the Sustainability Science at Southampton (SSS) USRG and Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute (SMMI)- were delighted to have the opportunity to exhibit the creative work from local secondary school students and to welcome Chris and members of the public to join the university in celebrating this important day.
Stay Connected:
Sustainability Science at Southampton: www.southampton.ac.uk/sustainability_science
Follow us on twitter: @SustainScience
Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/smmi
Music & the Digital Economy- Upcoming Seminars
by Alison Simmance
Don’t miss out on the following two upcoming DE Lunch-time seminars relating to music and the web!
Learn about how digital music is driving the web economy at ‘The Web and the Songlines of the Global Village’ by Ronise Nepomuceno on the 19th June.
The talk will focus on highlighting locations with a strong dominance of Independent Music and their strategies on the use of the web for the production and distribution of music. We will also discuss the effect this has on other creative areas and the way the relationship of the public with music is changing. Read more on the DE website.
Discover what the new ‘digital liveness’ exercise is at ‘Walk inside a piece of music via the 3D Binaural Audio Rendering Engine’ by Ben Mawson on the 22nd July.
The talk will outline some of the technical challenges in building 3DBARE and the musical compositions using space as an expressive layer which Ben has developed over the past two years, during his PhD research. These include the ongoing ‘Audio Portrait of a City’, spread across Southampton’s green spaces and the early stage project ‘Listening for Infection’ (a proposed collaboration between Music and the Faculty of Medicine), exploring biomedicine through sonic gamification. Read more on the DE website.
All DE Lunch-time seminars are free to attend and lunch is provided. All are welcome.
Full details at: http://digitaleconomy.soton.ac.uk/
Virtually Reconstructing Musical Numbers: The Modeller’s Perspective
by Matthew Harrison via Digital Humanities | Digital Humanities
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to get involved in a unique inter-disciplinary project, one that has taken me outside of my usual research area, as part of the SotonDH small grants. The project is a collaboration with Beth Carroll, who for her film studies PhD thesis is analysing the genre of musicals – specifically the phenomenon of the …
sotonDH small grants: Virtually Reconstructing Musical Numbers
by Elizabeth Carroll via Digital Humanities | Digital Humanities
The musical is an under theorised genre in Film Studies. It is arguably the most complex of all the archetypal genres, reflecting as it does on the nature of the cinema going experience itself. Its reflexive nature is in part a result of its structure which varies from other genres in its focus on simultaneity and comparison rather than causal …
Changing the Learning Landscape #cll1213
by Lisa Harris via Digital Economy USRG
Yesterday Fiona Harvey, Graeme Earl and myself headed for London Town to present at the HEA Changing the Learning Landscape event. This event offered an opportunity for those involved in teaching to find out more about the role that social media can play in enhancing the student and tutor experience. It was therefore a chance […]