Quantum bar
magnets in a transparent salt
(June 16, 2012) Scientists
have managed to switch on and off the magnetism of a new material using quantum
mechanics, making the material a test bed for future quantum devices.
The
international team of researchers led from the Laboratory for Quantum Magnetism
(LQM) in Switzerland and the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN), found that
the material, a transparent salt, did not suffer from the usual complications
of other real magnets, and exploited the fact that its quantum spins – which
are like tiny atomic magnets - interact according to the rules of large bar
magnets.