New Type of Chemical Bond Predicted To Exist In White Dwarfs 97
ananyo writes "A previously unknown type of powerful chemical bond should be induced by the ferocious magnetic fields of white dwarfs and neutron stars, according to computer simulations. If the effect can be harnessed in the lab, 'magnetized matter' could be exploited for quantum computing. Chemists identify two classes of strong molecular bonds: ionic bonds, in which electrons from one atom hop over to another, and covalent bonds, in which electrons are shared between atoms. But researchers at the University of Oslo accidentally discovered a third bonding mechanism when they simulated how atoms should behave under magnetic fields of about 105 tesla — 10,000 times the biggest fields that can be generated on Earth (abstract)."
Re:105 Tesla isn't that strong a field... (Score:4, Insightful)
Indeed. I've read the abstract now. But 10^5 Tesla is about 100x what can be created in the lab, not 10000x
No idea where that 10000x came from. I might have guessed at the meaning if it hadn't been for that 10000x.
Tim.
Re:105 Tesla isn't that strong a field... (Score:5, Insightful)
You know what's the saddest thing about your joke? That you're right. We'll get quantum computers that can do calculations at speeds we cannot even fathom today, yet in the end they'll be used to play silly games that could have run on a C64. And watching porn, of course.
Re:Applications in chemistry (Score:0, Insightful)