New “whirling” state of matter discovered in an element of the periodic table Date: Wednesday, July 01, 2020 @ 15:51:55 UTC Topic: Science
Via Radboud University: The strongest permanent magnets today contain a mix of the elements neodymium and iron. However, neodymium on its own does not behave like any known magnet, confounding researchers for more than half a century. Physicists at Radboud University and Uppsala University have shown that neodymium behaves like a so-called ‘self-induced spin glass,’ meaning that it is composed of a rippled sea of many tiny whirling magnets circulating at different speeds and constantly evolving over time. The results will be published on 29th of May, in Science.
Understanding this new type of magnetic behaviour refines our understanding of elements on the periodic table and eventually could pave the way for new materials for artificial intelligence.
"In a jar of honey, you may think that the once clear areas that turned
milky yellow have gone bad. But rather, the jar of honey starts to
crystallize. That’s how you could perceive the 'aging' process in
neodymium." Alexander Khajetoorians, professor in Scanning probe microscopy, together with professor Mikhail Katsnelson and assistant professor Daniel Wegner,
found that the material neodymium behaves in a complex magnetic way
that no one ever saw before in an element on the periodic table...
Via Radboud University: The strongest permanent magnets today contain a mix of the elements neodymium and iron. However, neodymium on its own does not behave like any known magnet, confounding researchers for more than half a century. Physicists at Radboud University and Uppsala University have shown that neodymium behaves like a so-called ‘self-induced spin glass,’ meaning that it is composed of a rippled sea of many tiny whirling magnets circulating at different speeds and constantly evolving over time. The results will be published on 29th of May, in Science.