In the past decade, the field of physics has witnessed renewed advances in physical systems without mirror (parity) symmetry. Firstly, the experimental discovery of chiral magnetic skyrmions has stirred a great deal of anticipation because their nanoscale size, topological protection, and energy efficiency make them an attractive candidate for cutting-edge spintronic applications. Secondly, the discovery of Hall viscosity, a new universal transport coefficient, through advancements in hydrodynamics has triggered extensive theoretical work in quantum Hall systems.

This book unites these two findings in an extensive account of skyrmion dynamics using novel analytical tools. Of particular interest is a generalized field theory Ward identity, a first principle method using symmetries and the associated conservation equations, which facilitates our understanding of Hall viscosity as a universal part of skyrmion motion. In articulating the role of this mysterious Hall viscosity in skyrmion physics, this book guides readers through frontline, interdisciplinary research that encompasses high-energy physics, condensed matter, and materials science. It also provides the necessary background and physical clarity for advanced undergraduates to meaningfully explore its contents through mathematical expressions conveyed in both vector and index notations.

Bom Soo Kim is an assistant professor at the University of Wisconsin—Parkside, USA. He received his PhD in physics from the University of California at Berkeley, USA, and his BS in astronomy from Yonsei University, South Korea. He was trained as a postdoctoral researcher in a joint appointment with IESL-FORTH and the University of Crete, Greece, and then at the Tel Aviv University, Israel. He has been a teaching postdoc at the University of Kentucky and a full-time lecturer at Loyola University Maryland, USA. Although he is formally trained in theoretical high-energy physics utilizing quantum field theory and string theory, his research interests extend to condensed matter physics, materials science, and quantum information science. Dr Kim currently works on quantum entanglement, holographic renormalization, and in particular, physical systems without parity symmetry that include magnetic skyrmions.