Scientists discover new type of magnet

[Judi Lynn]

'Singlet-based' magnet attracts promise for enhanced data storage
Date:
February 7, 2019
Source:
New York University
Summary:
A team of scientists has discovered the first robust example of a new type of magnet -- one that holds promise for enhancing the performance of data storage technologies.


A team of scientists has discovered the first robust example of a new type of magnet -- one that holds promise for enhancing the performance of data storage technologies.

This "singlet-based" magnet differs from conventional magnets, in which small magnetic constituents align with one another to create a strong magnetic field. By contrast, the newly uncovered singlet-based magnet has fields that pop in and out of existence, resulting in an unstable force -- but also one that potentially has more flexibility than conventional counterparts.

"There's a great deal of research these days into the use of magnets and magnetism to improve data storage technologies," explains Andrew Wray, an assistant professor of physics at New York University, who led the research team. "Singlet-based magnets should have a more sudden transition between magnetic and non-magnetic phases. You don't need to do as much to get the material to flip between non-magnetic and strongly magnetic states, which could be beneficial for power consumption and switching speed inside a computer.

"There's also a big difference in how this kind of magnetism couples with electric currents. Electrons coming into the material interact very strongly with the unstable magnetic moments, rather than simply passing through. Therefore, it's possible that these characteristics can help with performance bottlenecks and allow better control of magnetically stored information."

More:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/02/190207075114.htm