Chiral magnetic interactions in condensed matter systems offer a fascinating playground for both fundamental physics and future spintronic technologies. The interplay between magnetism and broken inversion symmetry leads to Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction, promoting chiral spin textures such as Néel domain walls and skyrmions, central to the emerging field of Chiral Spintronics.
The ICMAB School on Chiral Spintronics 2026 provided an exciting opportunity to explore these concepts through a focused two-day program. The school covered the theoretical foundations of chiral magnetism and its manifestations in real materials, as well as the latest experimental techniques and device perspectives.
Of all participants, that attended both-online and in-person, more than half were from Spain (32). There were also Germans (6) and Polish (4) attendees, amongst many other countries.
Graphic representing the country of providence of the School participants | ICMAB-CSIC
School agenda highlights
The school started at 9.00 AM on Monday 26th of January with a lecture by André Thiaville, from Laboratoire de physique des solides, CNRS-Université Paris-sud, titled "Historical overview of chiral magnetic interactions and basic concepts of DMI, Néel DWs, skyrmions, etc. After that, came a lecture by Markus Garst (from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), titled "Spin textures and phase diagram of chiral magnets". It was then time for a well-deserved coffe break!
Participants having the coffe break at the Chiral Spintronics School 2026 | ICMAB-CSIC
The morning continued with a talk by Felix Büttner from the University of Augsburg and Helmholtz-Zentrum titled "Imaging of chiral spin textures and dynamics". It was then the turn of Ferran Macià to give the talk "Chiral-phonon generation of orbital currents in light transition metals", and the morning concluded with the online talk of Heidi Pots of Zurich Instruments Ltd., one of the sponsors of the school.
One of the talks at the Chiral Spintronics School 2026 | ICMAB-CSIC
After lunch, there were three more sessions by Sabri Koraltan (Institute of Applied Physics), Matthew Lefevre (Park Systems Corp.) and Caroline Ross (Massachusetts Institute of Technology). To end this fantastic first day, we had a poster session!
On Tuesday 26 January 2026 we started with talks by Yuriy Mokrousov (The Peter Grünberg Institute) and Giovanni Finocchio (University of Messina), as well as Stefano Fedel (ICMAB-CSIC) and Silvia Tacchi (Instituto Officina dei Material).
After lunch that day, it was the turn of Markus Garst, Nele Harcnack (QZabre Ltd) and Vincent Cross (Laboratoire Albert Fert).
Overall, those were a couple of fantastic days!
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to the organizers, Can Onur Avci, Silvia Damerio and Gervasi Herranz, for crafting such a well-structured and thought-provoking program. They said: "We are very pleased with the success of the ICMAB School on Chiral Spintronics 2026, which brought together early-career scientists and leading researchers to explore the fundamentals and frontiers of chiral magnetism and spin textures. Throughout the school, a comprehensive overview of both theoretical methods and experimental techniques were covered, aiming to provide participants with a clear and solid understanding of this rapidly evolving field. The speakers delivered outstanding lectures that combined fundamentas and cutting-edge results and actively encouraged questions and discussion. The level of engagement from the participants confirmed the importance of creating spaces like this for knowledge and community building."
We also applaud the participants—both in-person and virtual—for their engaging discussions and insightful poster presentations. For those who couldn’t attend, stay tuned for upcoming ICMAB events as we continue to push the boundaries of solid-state physics and condensed matter science!
This event was a powerful reminder of how advancements in materials growth and characterization pave the way for groundbreaking innovations. The insights and ideas shared during these two days will undoubtedly inspire new research and collaborations.
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