Abstract

Recent developments in thin film growth techniques and in ab initio calculation capabilities have enabled the synthesis of atomically flat surfaces and heterostructures, and the prediction of their electronic properties. A common thread across several such thin film materials and heterostructures – heavy metal compounds and multilayers – is that the spin orbit coupling strength at surfaces and interfaces is comparable to the other relevant energy scales, and thus plays a pivotal role. Novel spin-based phenomena emerge often robust to disorder and thermal fluctuations, with much promise for room temperature applications. Notable progress has been made on spin-polarized states at Rashba interfaces, topological insulator surfaces and atomically thin materials. This includes their utility towards generation and conversion of spin currents, the developments on interfacial non-collinear spin textures in magnetic films, and techniques to generate, stabilize and manipulate them in devices. Using magnetic nanoscale spin structures as a paradigm, I will elaborate on the intellectual and practical developments towards the technology of spin and charge topology of the future.