Chiral symmetry breaking in magnetic thin films and multilayers.

A phenomenological theory of chiral symmetry breaking in magnetic nanostructures is developed considering induced, inhomogeneous chiral interactions (Dzyaloshinsky-Moriya-type). Application of the theory to films and multilayers with in-plane and out-of-plane magnetization predicts modulated and two-dimensional localized patterns (vortices). These new classes of magnetic patterns are intrinsically stable and localized on nanometer scale. Various experimental observations agree qualitatively with structures derived from this theory.