Research Interests

My PhD is focused on understanding the formation of Skyrmions in centrosymmetric materials. Skyrmions are two-dimensional vortex-like spin configurations with an integer topological winding number. The emergent properties from magnetic skyrmions are anticipated to have applications in low-power spintronics. Whilst the interactions leading to Skyrmions in noncentrosymmetric materials have dominated the past decade of Skyrmion research and are well understood, the formation of Skyrmions on centrosymmetric materials remain opaque.

I use Arc Melting, the Flux Method and Chemical Vapour Transport to grow crystals. Then I use x-ray and neutron diffraction for structural characterisation and low-temperature magnetometry, electronic transport and heat capacity measurements for macroscopic characterisation of samples. To understand the microscopic nature of the magnetism in these materials I will use techniques such as Resonant Elastic X-ray Scattering.

I am supervised by Prof. Geetha Balakrishnan. I am in the 2nd year of my PhD.

Background

I completed a Master of Physics (MSci) degree at the University of Bristol in 2020. For my Master's project, I investigated photoconductivity in the quantum paraelectric materials SrTiO₃ and KaTaO₃ and was supervised by Dr. Christopher Bell.

Publications

Mayoh, Daniel A., George DA Wood, Samuel JR Holt, Grady Beckett, Emily JL Dekker, Martin R. Lees, and Geetha Balakrishnan. "Effects of Fe Deficiency and Co Substitution in Polycrystalline and Single Crystals of Fe3GeTe2." Crystal Growth & Design (2021).

Conferences

Talks:

CRIM 2021: Tuning magnetism in the 2D van der Waals magnet Fe₃GeTe₂ by Co-substitution

Posters:

ISIS Student Meeting 2021

CMQM 2021

Teaching Duties

I demonstrate the Powder X-ray Diffraction experiment for the second year physics lab.

Write to

George Wood
Superconductivity and Magnetism Group (Room P2.20)
Department of Physics
University of Warwick
Coventry CV4 7AL
United Kingdom

E-Mail:

george dot wood at warwick dot ac dot uk

Telephone:

+44 (0)2476 574207

Office:

P2.20