Physicists Confirm The Existence of a Third Form of Magnetism (sciencealert.com) 19
Scientists have demonstrated control over a newly theorized type of magnetism, known as altermagnetism, by manipulating nanoscale magnetic whirlpools in an ultra-thin wafer of manganese telluride. "Our experimental work has provided a bridge between theoretical concepts and real-life realization, which hopefully illuminates a path to developing altermagnetic materials for practical applications," says University of Nottingham physicist Oliver Amin, who led the research with PhD student Alfred Dal Din. From the report: Using a device that accelerates electrons to blinding speeds, a team led by researchers from the University of Nottingham showered an ultra-thin wafer of manganese telluride with X-rays of different polarizations, revealing changes on a nanometer scale reflecting magnetic activity unlike anything seen before. [...] More recently, a third configuration of particles in ferromagnetic materials was theorized.
In what's referred to as altermagnetism, particles are arranged in a canceling fashion like antiferromagnetism, yet rotated just enough to allow for confined forces on a nanoscale -- not enough to pin a grocery list to your freezer, but with discrete properties that engineers are keen to manipulate into storing data or channeling energy. "Altermagnets consist of magnetic moments that point antiparallel to their neighbors," explains University of Nottingham physicist Peter Wadley. "However, each part of the crystal hosting these tiny moments is rotated with respect to its neighbors. This is like antiferromagnetism with a twist! But this subtle difference has huge ramifications."
Experiments have since confirmed the existence of this in-between 'alter' magnetism. However, none had directly demonstrated it was possible to manipulate its tiny magnetic vortices in ways that might prove useful. Wadley and his colleagues demonstrated that a sheet of manganese telluride just a few nanometers thick could be distorted in ways that intentionally created distinct magnetic whirlpools on the wafer's surface. "Our experimental work has provided a bridge between theoretical concepts and real-life realization, which hopefully illuminates a path to developing altermagnetic materials for practical applications," says University of Nottingham physicist Oliver Amin. This research was published in the journal Nature.
In what's referred to as altermagnetism, particles are arranged in a canceling fashion like antiferromagnetism, yet rotated just enough to allow for confined forces on a nanoscale -- not enough to pin a grocery list to your freezer, but with discrete properties that engineers are keen to manipulate into storing data or channeling energy. "Altermagnets consist of magnetic moments that point antiparallel to their neighbors," explains University of Nottingham physicist Peter Wadley. "However, each part of the crystal hosting these tiny moments is rotated with respect to its neighbors. This is like antiferromagnetism with a twist! But this subtle difference has huge ramifications."
Experiments have since confirmed the existence of this in-between 'alter' magnetism. However, none had directly demonstrated it was possible to manipulate its tiny magnetic vortices in ways that might prove useful. Wadley and his colleagues demonstrated that a sheet of manganese telluride just a few nanometers thick could be distorted in ways that intentionally created distinct magnetic whirlpools on the wafer's surface. "Our experimental work has provided a bridge between theoretical concepts and real-life realization, which hopefully illuminates a path to developing altermagnetic materials for practical applications," says University of Nottingham physicist Oliver Amin. This research was published in the journal Nature.
Blinding speeds? (Score:5, Funny)
Glad to see they're sticking to scientific terminology. But what is that in furlongs per fortnight?
Re:Blinding speeds? (Score:5, Funny)
Hang on, let me grab my laden swallow slide ruler.
Re: (Score:2)
Hang on, let me grab my laden swallow slide ruler.
Better confirm which one you need first. If the client even knows that is.
Re: Blinding speeds? (Score:1)
Sounds like AI did the summary.
Re: (Score:2)
So says MI (Meat Intelligence).
Re: (Score:2)
But what is that in furlongs per fortnight?
Yellow point cabbage.
Re: (Score:2)
Before we can do the conversion to furlongs per fortnight, we have to know if the blinding speeds are metric blindness or imperial blindness.
More storage? (Score:2)
Sounds like spinning rust is still nowhere near dying out.
A trilogy in six parts (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Well,
you forgot the anti paramagnetism and anti diamagnetism, but one you spelled wrong, so I guess you are an idiot?
(TBH: your spelling of "paramagnetism " makes sense, but I guess the "algorithms" that find "diamagnetism" correct, are to stupid for that.)
Re: (Score:2)
It seems that altermagnetism is the third form after ferromagnetism, ferrimagnetism, antiferromagnetism, paramagnetism and diamagnetism.
Don’t forget paraparamagnetism which lets ghosts weakly interact with Ouija boards.
Re: (Score:2)
It seems that altermagnetism is the third form after ferromagnetism, ferrimagnetism, antiferromagnetism, paramagnetism and diamagnetism.
Sounds woke.
Fucking magnets. How do they work !?!
I read this and... (Score:2)
...my response is, "Gesundheit!"
An outrage against traditional magnetism (Score:1)
Re: (Score:1)
Who is this? (Score:2)
none had directly demonstrated it was possible to manipulate its tiny magnetic vortices in ways that might prove useful.
This is about the tenth time I’ve heard this none person do something amazing, they must be the best physicist and engineer the world has ever seen!
Correction to title (Score:2)
Third form of magnetism in materials