dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Social Links
  • zedreviews.com
  • citi.io
  • aster.cloud
  • liwaiwai.com
  • guzz.co.uk
  • atinatin.com
0 Likes
0 Followers
0 Subscribers
dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
  • Science
  • Technology

New Quantum Magnet Unleashes Electronics Potential

  • July 27, 2023
Caption:In a graphic representation of a two-dimensional material, squeezing and stretching leads to, respectively, positive and negative signs of the anomalous Hall effect, represented by arrows. Credits:Image: Hang Chi
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0

Julianna Mullen | Plasma Science and Fusion Center
MIT News (https://news.mit.edu/2023/new-quantum-magnet-unleashes-electronics-potential-0725)

Researchers discover how to control the anomalous Hall effect and Berry curvature to create flexible quantum magnets for use in computers, robotics, and sensors.

Caption:In a graphic representation of a two-dimensional material, squeezing and stretching leads to, respectively, positive and negative signs of the anomalous Hall effect, represented by arrows. Credits:Image: Hang Chi

Some of our most important everyday items, like computers, medical equipment, stereos, generators, and more, work because of magnets. We know what happens when computers become more powerful, but what might be possible if magnets became more versatile? What if one could change a physical property that defined their usability? What innovation might that catalyze?

It’s a question that MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) research scientists Hang Chi, Yunbo Ou, Jagadeesh Moodera, and their co-authors explore in a new open-access Nature Communications paper, “Strain-tunable Berry curvature in quasi-two-dimensional chromium telluride.”

Understanding the magnitude of the authors’ discovery requires a brief trip back in time: In 1879, a 23-year-old graduate student named Edwin Hall discovered that when he put a magnet at right angles to a strip of metal that had a current running through it, one side of the strip would have a greater charge than the other. The magnetic field was deflecting the current’s electrons toward the edge of the metal, a phenomenon that would be named the Hall effect in his honor.

In Hall’s time, the classical system of physics was the only kind, and forces like gravity and magnetism acted on matter in predictable and immutable ways: Just like dropping an apple would result in it falling, making a “T” with a strip of electrified metal and magnet resulted in the Hall effect, full stop. Except it wasn’t, really; now we know quantum mechanics plays a role, too.

Think of classical physics as a map of Arizona, and quantum mechanics as a car trip through the desert. The map provides a macro view and generalized information about the area, but it can’t prepare the driver for all the random events one might encounter, like an armadillo running across the road. Quantum spaces, like the journey the driver is on, are governed by a different set of local traffic rules. So, while the Hall effect is induced by an applied magnetic field in a classical system, in a quantum case the Hall effect may occur even without the external field, at which point it becomes the anomalous Hall effect.

When cruising in the quantum realm, one is equipped with the knowledge of the so-called “Berry phase,” named after British physicist Michael Berry. It serves as a GPS logger for the car: It’s as if the driver has recorded their entire trip from start to finish, and by analyzing the GPS history, one can better plot the ups and downs, or “curvature” of the space. This “Berry curvature” of the quantum landscape can naturally shift electrons to one side, inducing the Hall effect without a magnetic field, just as the hills and valleys dictate the path of the car.

While many have observed the anomalous Hall effect in magnetic materials, none had been able to manipulate it by squeezing and/or stretching — until the paper’s authors developed a method to demonstrate the change in the anomalous Hall effect and Berry curvature in an unusual magnet.

First, they took half-millimeter-thick bases made of either aluminum oxide or strontium titanate, both of which are crystals, and grew an incredibly thin layer of chromium telluride, a magnetic compound, on top of the bases. On their own, these materials wouldn’t do much; however, when combined, film’s magnetism and the interface it created with the bases onto which it was grown caused the layers to stretch or squeeze.

To deepen their understanding of how these materials were working together, the researchers partnered with Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL)’s Spallation Neutron Source to perform neutron scattering experiments — essentially blasting the material with shots of particles and studying what bounced back — to learn more about the film’s chemical and magnetic properties. Neutrons were an ideal tool for the study because they are magnetic but have no electrical charge. The neutron experiments allowed the researchers to build a profile that revealed how the chemical elements and magnetic behaviors changed at different levels as they probed deeper into the material.

The researchers witnessed the anomalous Hall effect and Berry curvature responding to the degree of squeezing or stretching occurring on the base after the film was applied, an observation later verified by modeling and data simulations.

Though this breakthrough occurred at the tiniest molecular level, the scientists’ discovery has significant, real-world ramifications. For example, hard drives store data in tiny magnetic regions, and if they were built using “strain-tunable” materials like the film, they could store additional data in regions that have been stretched different ways. In robotics, strain-tunable materials could be used as sensors able to provide precise feedback on robots’ movements and positioning. Such materials would be especially useful for “soft robots,” which use soft and flexible components that better imitate biological organisms. Or, a magnetic device that changed its behavior when flexed or bent could be used to detect minute changes in the environment, or to make incredibly sensitive health monitoring equipment.

In addition to Chi, Ou, and Moodera, who is also an affiliate of the MIT Department of Physics, MIT contributors to the work include postdoc Alexandre C. Foucher and Professor Frances Ross of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.

Additional co-authors include Tim B. Eldred and Wenpei Gao of North Carolina State University; Sohee Kwon, Yuhang Liu, and Roger K. Lake of the University of California at Riverside; Joseph Murray, Michael Dreyer, and Robert E. Butera of the Laboratory for Physical Sciences; Haile A. Ambaye, Valerie Lauter, and Jong K. Keum of ORNL; Alice T. Greenberg, Yuhang Liu, Mahesh R. Neupane, George J. de Coster, Owen A. Vail, Patrick J. Taylor, Patrick A. Folkes, and Charles Rong of the Army Research Lab; Gen Yin of Georgetown University; and Don Heiman of Northeastern University.

This study was supported, in part, by the U.S. Army Research Office, U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), U.S. Office of Naval Research, U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research, and the MIT-IBM Watson AI Research Lab. Facilities access was provided by the MIT Materials Research Laboratory, MRSEC, MIT.nano, SNS and Center for Nanophase Materials Sciences, Department of Energy Office of Science User Facilities operated by ORNL, and Advanced Cyberinfrastructure Coordination Ecosystem: Services and Support supported by NSF.

Reprinted with permission of MIT News (http://news.mit.edu/)

Total
0
Shares
Share
Tweet
Share
Share
Related Topics
  • Electronics
  • Hall effect
  • Magnets
  • Physics
  • Quantum
  • Quantum Mechanics
  • Robotics
dotlah.com

Previous Article
  • People

Eliminating Modern Slavery: A Call For Deliberate And Collective Action

  • July 27, 2023
View Post
Next Article
  • Science

Oppenheimer The Actor: The Curious 1946 Film Atomic Power Featuring The Scientist As Himself

  • July 27, 2023
View Post
You May Also Like
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Meet Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Series: Packing Everything You Expect From a Premium Tablet

  • Dean Marc
  • September 4, 2025
View Post
  • Technology

Malaysia’s ‘ASEAN Shenzhen’ needs some significant legal reform to take off — here’s how

  • dotlah.com
  • August 25, 2025
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Samsung Electronics Debuts Odyssey G7 Monitors, Showcasing Top Games on Its Displays at Gamescom 2025

  • Dean Marc
  • August 20, 2025
View Post
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Technology

Thoughts on America’s AI Action Plan

  • Dean Marc
  • July 24, 2025
View Post
  • Technology

ESWIN Computing launches the EBC77 Series Single Board Computer with Ubuntu

  • dotlah.com
  • July 17, 2025
View Post
  • Gears
  • Technology

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7: Raising the Bar for Smartphones

  • Dean Marc
  • July 9, 2025
View Post
  • Cities
  • Technology

Meralco PowerGen’s PacificLight starts up 100 MW fast-response plant in Singapore

  • dotlah.com
  • June 20, 2025
View Post
  • Technology

Apple services deliver powerful features and intelligent updates to users this autumn

  • Dean Marc
  • June 12, 2025


Trending
  • 1
    • Lah!
    Additional Loan And Cashflow Support For Landlords And Businesses Affected By COVID-19
    • June 6, 2020
  • 2
    • Engineering
    • Science
    • Technology
    With Psyche, A Journey To An Ancient Asteroid Is Set To Begin
    • October 13, 2023
  • new york 3
    • Cities
    • Scapes
    How To Explore NYC On A Low Budget
    • January 11, 2021
  • citiio-construction-site-mark-potterton-sNVkn3507Oo-unsplash 4
    • Business
    • Cities
    • Features
    On Solid Ground: Meeting Safety Standards in Construction
    • March 19, 2024
  • 5
    • Cities
    • Technology
    How Tech Is Changing The Way Singapore Manages Parks And Gardens
    • May 15, 2019
  • 6
    • People
    • Technology
    How Coronavirus Is Shaping The Future Of The Workplace
    • July 7, 2020
  • 7
    • Technology
    Sembcorp To Build 8.2 Megawatt-Peak Solar Power Energy System On Singapore Airlines And SIA Engineering Company’s Properties
    • February 13, 2020
  • 8
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    Changi Airport’s Health Safety Standards Receive International Recognition With Successful Renewal Of ACI Health Accreditation
    • September 16, 2021
  • 9
    • Cities
    • Lah!
    Additional $30 Million To Enhance The COVID-19 Driver Relief Fund To Support Taxi And Private Hire Car Drivers
    • July 25, 2021
  • 10
    • Cities
    How Cities Around The World Are Handling COVID-19 – And Why We Need To Measure Their Preparedness
    • March 18, 2020
  • 11
    • Lah!
    What’s A Nursing Home Combined With A Childcare Center? A Hopeful Model For The Future Of Aging
    • June 21, 2019
  • 12
    • Lah!
    Singapore Substantially Concludes Negotiations For Digital Economy Partnership Agreement With Chile And New Zealand
    • January 22, 2020
Trending
  • Cooking pots and pans 1
    Best Pots and Pans 2025: All-Season, All-Purpose Picks for Every Kitchen
    • September 23, 2025
  • 2
    Politicians love comparing NZ’s economy to Singapore or Ireland – but it’s simplistic and misleading
    • September 21, 2025
  • Kitchen Knives - Best All-Around Picks in 2025 3
    Kitchen Knives : The Surgeons of Cooking – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 15, 2025
  • 4
    Apple unveils iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the most powerful and advanced Pro models ever
    • September 9, 2025
  • 5
    Apple debuts iPhone 17
    • September 9, 2025
  • Fruits and vegetables for cooking. For food processors. 6
    Food Processor: The Swiss Army Knife of the Kitchen – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • September 8, 2025
  • 7
    Meet Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 Series: Packing Everything You Expect From a Premium Tablet
    • September 4, 2025
  • 8
    Malaysia’s ‘ASEAN Shenzhen’ needs some significant legal reform to take off — here’s how
    • August 25, 2025
  • French Fries 9
    Air Fryer: The One Cooking Appliance to Rule Them All – Best All-Around Picks in 2025
    • August 22, 2025
  • 10
    Samsung Electronics Debuts Odyssey G7 Monitors, Showcasing Top Games on Its Displays at Gamescom 2025
    • August 20, 2025
Social Links
dotlah! dotlah!
  • Cities
  • Technology
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Society
  • Science
  • About
Connecting Dots Across Asia's Tech and Urban Landscape

Input your search keywords and press Enter.