Articles tagged with "magnetic-materials"
Distorted honeycomb magnet edges closer to a quantum spin liquid
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have synthesized and studied a new magnetic material, potassium cobalt arsenate, which features cobalt atoms arranged in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice. This structure was designed to realize a quantum spin liquid state—a highly sought-after magnetic phase where spins remain disordered even at extremely low temperatures, potentially enabling exotic particles and robust quantum technologies. Although the material’s honeycomb lattice was confirmed, it exhibited slight distortions, and experiments showed that below about 14 kelvin, the cobalt spins settled into an ordered pattern rather than remaining fluid as a quantum spin liquid would. Neutron scattering and computer simulations revealed that while the material exhibited the theoretically predicted Kitaev interactions—key to stabilizing quantum spin liquids—these interactions were weaker than conventional magnetic forces, causing the spins to freeze. Despite not achieving a quantum spin liquid state, the material lies near a critical tipping point. The researchers suggest that modest modifications, such as chemical doping, applying pressure, or strong magnetic fields, could enhance the Kita
materialsquantum-spin-liquidmagnetic-materialshoneycomb-latticecobalt-arsenateneutron-scatteringquantum-technologiesUS superconducting breakthrough could power simple quantum computers
Researchers at the University of Buffalo, in collaboration with teams from Spain, France, and China, have achieved a significant breakthrough by constructing a Josephson junction using only one superconductor layer instead of the traditional two. Typically, a Josephson junction—a critical component in quantum computers—consists of two superconductors separated by a thin barrier, allowing synchronized superconductive behavior. In this new approach, the team used a superconducting vanadium electrode and an iron electrode separated by magnesium oxide, demonstrating that iron, a ferromagnetic material, could participate in Josephson-junction-like behavior despite its spins being aligned in one direction, unlike the opposite spins in superconductors. This unexpected finding challenges existing theories, as iron’s same-spin electron pairs exhibited superconducting properties, potentially enabling more stable quantum computing designs by locking electron spins in place. Moreover, the use of common materials like iron and magnesium oxide—already prevalent in hard drives and RAM—could simplify and reduce the cost of quantum device fabrication. The researchers
quantum-computingsuperconductivityJosephson-junctionmaterials-scienceenergy-efficiencymagnetic-materialsquantum-technologyHidden quantum spin liquid behavior confirmed in a new kagome crystal
The article reports a significant advancement in confirming the existence of quantum spin liquids (QSLs), an exotic state of matter where electron spins remain in a fluctuating, entangled state even near absolute zero, defying typical magnetic order. Historically elusive due to their lack of clear experimental signatures, QSLs have been difficult to conclusively identify. The research team focused on materials with a kagome lattice—a triangular atomic pattern known to frustrate magnetic order and potentially host QSLs. Previously, unusual magnetic excitations observed in the kagome material herbertsmithite hinted at QSL behavior, but it was unclear if these were unique to that compound. To address this, the researchers synthesized high-quality single crystals of a different kagome material, Zn-barlowite, and used inelastic neutron scattering at very low temperatures to probe its spin dynamics. They discovered that the fundamental excitations in Zn-barlowite were not conventional magnons but fractionalized spinons, a hallmark of strong quantum ent
materialsquantum-spin-liquidkagome-latticemagnetic-materialsquantum-entanglementcrystal-synthesiscondensed-matter-physicsScientists identify new magnetic state for future data storage
Researchers from several Japanese institutions, including the National Institute for Materials Science and Tohoku University, have experimentally demonstrated a rare magnetic state called altermagnetism in ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂) thin films. By precisely controlling the crystal orientation of RuO₂ films grown on sapphire substrates, the team was able to reveal this third fundamental class of magnetism, which combines advantages of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. Unlike ferromagnets, altermagnets have no net magnetization, reducing interference issues in miniaturized devices, yet unlike antiferromagnets, they allow electrical readout of spin-dependent signals, making them promising for spintronics and data storage applications. The researchers used X-ray magnetic linear dichroism to map the spin arrangement and confirmed spin-split magnetoresistance, providing strong evidence of altermagnetism’s unique spin-split electronic structure. Their approach of aligning the crystal lattice uniformly was key to observing these subtle magnetic effects
materialsmagnetic-materialsaltermagnetismRuO2-thin-filmsdata-storagespintronicsmemory-technologyUltrafast light delivers 10x magnetic control for quantum devices
Researchers at Lancaster University have demonstrated a novel method to control magnetism using ultrafast light pulses lasting less than a trillionth of a second. By exploiting interactions between electron orbitals and spins, the team achieved magnetic motion amplified up to ten times compared to materials lacking this orbital-spin coupling. This discovery reveals a fundamental mechanism whereby light can efficiently transfer angular momentum to electron spins, enabling rapid and large-scale steering of magnetization without direct contact or sustained energy input. The study involved comparing two similar magnetic materials differing in their electronic orbital structures. The material with strong orbital-spin interaction exhibited a dramatically enhanced magnetic response to ultrafast light, highlighting the crucial role of orbital motion in magnetic control. This mechanism allows magnetization to shift far from equilibrium, even reversing direction, which is essential for magnetic data storage technologies that encode information via magnetic orientation. The findings have significant implications for future quantum and classical devices, potentially enabling faster, more energy-efficient magnetic control with reduced heat and power loss compared to traditional electric current methods
materialsultrafast-lightmagnetismquantum-deviceselectron-spinmagnetic-controlmagnetic-materialsCrystal engineered with rare magnetic swirls may reshape data storage
Researchers at Florida State University have engineered a novel crystalline material exhibiting rare, skyrmion-like magnetic swirl patterns by combining two chemically similar but structurally distinct compounds: manganese–cobalt–germanium and manganese–cobalt–arsenic. This fusion creates “structural frustration” that translates into magnetic frustration, causing atomic spins to twist into cycloidal, skyrmion-like textures. These tiny magnetic swirls are significant because they can be manipulated with very low energy, making them promising for next-generation data storage, energy-efficient electronics, and quantum technologies. The team’s approach marks a shift from traditional methods that search for naturally occurring skyrmion materials to a predictive “chemical thinking” strategy that designs materials with desired magnetic textures. Using advanced neutron diffraction techniques and machine-learning tools, the researchers can now intentionally create and optimize complex spin structures, potentially enabling high-density, low-energy magnetic memory and fault-tolerant quantum computing. This method also offers a pathway to more affordable and scalable
materialsmagnetic-materialsskyrmionsdata-storageenergy-efficient-electronicsquantum-technologiescrystal-engineeringQuantum dots doped with manganese show new magnetic capabilities
Researchers at the University of Oklahoma have achieved a significant breakthrough by successfully doping cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr3) quantum dots with manganese, a feat previously considered very challenging. This doping process replaces nearly 40% of lead atoms with manganese ions, transforming the quantum dots’ emission color from blue to a warm orange with near-perfect efficiency. Unlike typical color changes driven by size variation, this shift results from chemical modification. The manganese doping also imparts magnetic properties to the quantum dots, opening new avenues for their application. This advancement could have wide-ranging impacts across multiple industries. The orange light emitted by the doped quantum dots is beneficial for indoor farming and easier on the eyes, while their enhanced optical properties may improve solar cell efficiency. Additionally, the magnetic nature of these dots could enable innovations in medical imaging, spintronics, and communication technologies. Notably, the doped quantum dots show promise as optically controlled qubits for quantum computing, potentially offering greater stability and less interference than
materialsquantum-dotsmanganese-dopingmagnetic-materialssolar-technologyperovskite-nanomaterialsenergy-systemsUS team sees tiny spinning waves called magnons moving in magnets
A research team at Brookhaven National Laboratory has achieved the first direct observation of magnon spin currents using resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS), marking a significant advancement in spintronics. Unlike previous methods that detected spin currents indirectly by converting them into electrical signals, this approach allowed scientists to measure the momentum distribution of magnons—quantized spin excitations carrying angular momentum—in a magnetic insulator (yttrium iron garnet, YIG) under a temperature gradient. The RIXS technique was sensitive enough to detect subtle imbalances in magnon intensity, providing a microscopic view of how magnons move and carry spin current without involving electron charge transport. This breakthrough is crucial for developing future energy-efficient spintronic devices, which rely on controlling spin currents to store and transmit information at higher densities. By applying a mathematical model, the team could calculate magnon lifetimes and dynamics, offering insights essential for magnon-based technologies. The researchers plan to extend their work to thin films
spintronicsmagnonsmagnetic-materialsenergy-efficient-technologyyttrium-iron-garnetspin-currentsresonant-inelastic-X-ray-scatteringScientists isolate lone spinon in breakthrough for quantum magnetism
Scientists have achieved a significant breakthrough in quantum magnetism by isolating a lone spinon, a quasiparticle previously thought to exist only in pairs. Spinons arise as quantum disturbances in low-dimensional magnetic systems, particularly one-dimensional spin chains, where flipping a single electron spin creates a ripple that behaves like a particle carrying spin ½. Historically, spinons were observed only in pairs, reinforcing the belief that they could not exist independently. However, a new theoretical study by physicists from the University of Warsaw and the University of British Columbia demonstrated that a single unpaired spin can move freely through a spin-½ Heisenberg chain, effectively acting as a solitary spinon. This theoretical finding gained experimental support from recent work led by C. Zhao, published in Nature Materials, which observed spin-½ excitations in nanographene-based antiferromagnetic chains consistent with lone spinon behavior. The ability to isolate and understand single spinons has profound implications for quantum science, as spinons are closely
quantum-magnetismspinonsquantum-materialsmagnetic-materialsquantum-computingnanographenequantum-entanglementNew stamp-like hard drive made from novel molecule can hold 3 TB data
Researchers from the Australian National University (ANU) and the University of Manchester have developed a novel single-molecule magnet capable of storing exceptionally large amounts of data in an ultra-compact form factor. This new molecule enables the creation of hard drives about the size of a postage stamp that can hold up to 3 terabytes of data—equivalent to roughly 500,000 TikTok videos or 40,000 copies of Pink Floyd’s "The Dark Side of the Moon" album. Unlike conventional magnetic materials that rely on clusters of atoms, these single-molecule magnets operate individually, allowing for ultra-high-density data storage in a fraction of the space. A key advancement in this research is the molecule’s ability to retain magnetic memory at temperatures around 100 Kelvin (-173°C), which is warmer than previous single-molecule magnets requiring about 80 Kelvin (-193°C). This improvement was achieved by arranging three atoms in a straight line stabilized by an alkene chemical group, enhancing storage capacity and stability.
materialsdata-storagesingle-molecule-magnetsmagnetic-materialsnanotechnologymolecular-electronicsadvanced-materials