Once upon a time, the world of magnetism seemed simple—ferromagnetism reigned supreme, with its trusty sidekick, the refrigerator magnet, sticking bills to fridges with ease. But as science delved deeper, it uncovered a new player: antiferromagnetism, the foe of ferromagnetism, canceling out its stickiness and leaving Garfield figurines as mere paperweights.
Now, a team of researchers has revealed yet another twist in the magnetic tale—altermagnetism—a phenomenon that sits between ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, offering new possibilities for future electronics.
Principal investigator Tomáš Jungwirth describes altermagnetism as “entirely fundamental” yet overlooked for decades. It describes alternating energy bands of ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism that cancel out overall, while still retaining permanent magnetic features on a local level.
At the heart of these magnetic manifestations lies spin, the angular momentum of quantum objects. In ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, electron spins align to create a strong magnetic field. But until now, stable arrangements of spins were thought to be either ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic.
To detect altermagnetism, the researchers utilized advanced laboratory techniques, identifying a characteristic splitting of X-rays passing through a crystal lattice of manganese telluride.
Physicist Juraj Krempasky explains that their precise measurements revealed the unique energy level splitting, confirming that manganese telluride belongs to the new altermagnetic branch of magnetic materials.
This discovery not only advances our understanding of materials physics but also opens doors to new possibilities in spin-based electronics, where particles’ spins, rather than just their charges, play a crucial role.
As scientists continue to unravel the mysteries of magnetism, altermagnetism stands as a testament to the endless complexities of the universe, offering tantalizing prospects for future technological innovation.
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