https://phys.org/news/2018-07-optical-skyrmions.html > The term "skyrmion" is derived from the name of Dr. Tony Skyrme, an English physicist who, in 1962, discovered that high-energy arrangements of physical systems with fields that have a "hedgehog-like configuration" enjoy an enhanced stability. Over the years, the concept was applied to several material systems, most notably in magnets. Hedgehog arrangements are considered a highly promising alternative for data representation, which could drastically increase computer memory storage. > Currently, most of the world's information is inserted or extracted on hard drives via a mechanical arm. But information management based on skyrmions only requires weak electrical currents. And skyrmions are of nanoscale dimensions – with diameters 10,000 times smaller than that of a hair strand. Such features are why skyrmions are expected to dramatically optimize, speed up and reduce the costs of information processing, transfer and storage.