  Research at the frontier between optics and magnetism is revealing a wealth
of innovative phenomena and avenues of exploration. Optical waves are
demonstrating the capacity to induce ultrafast magnetism, while optical analogs
of magnetic states, such as magnetic skyrmions, offer the prospect of novel
spin-optical states. In this paper, we strengthen the synergy between light and
magnetism by exploring the ability of plasmonic Neel skyrmions to create a
stationary magnetic field within a thin gold film. We show that, when generated
using a focused radially-polarized vortex beam, a plasmonic Neel skyrmion
emerges as an optimum for inducing optomagnetism in a thin gold film. Optical
skyrmions offer new degrees of freedom for enhancing and controlling
optomagnetism in plasmonic nanostructures, with direct application in
all-optical magnetization switching, magnetic recording, and the excitation of
spin waves.
