Physicists have uncovered a hidden third form of magnetism that challenges more than 100 years of established physics. Called altermagnetism, the discovery could transform future computing and electronics while opening an entirely new frontier in quantum research.

  • MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip
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    2 days ago

    So not a third form of magnetism but a third form of magnets.

    Basically a semiconductor for magnetism.

    • variaatio@nord.pub
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      2 days ago

      Yeah. I was confused for moment. Wait they found third field in addition to the electric and magnetic fields? Like that would be “throw Einstein out the window” level change.

      • KeenFlame@feddit.nu
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        2 days ago

        Specifically they called it a “phase” here, so not another field, more akin to like a new way a magnet can behave (i think)

    • KeenFlame@feddit.nu
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      2 days ago

      Sure, that sounds like a pretty good analogy, but it didn’t read as if you could program these? I just wonder more specifically what they do to the polarisation at what points. Could we make logic gates that practically require no power?

      • MonkderVierte@lemmy.zip
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        2 days ago

        Pretty sure i’ve read something similiar once, about surface waves in the outermost electron layer. They even built logic gates. Minus point was the relative large structure size for it to work, plus point that it requires next to no power. No clue what happened with it.

    • Pixel_Jock_17@piefed.ca
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      2 days ago

      I want to understand this but I am not well educated here. So forgive my question, all I know about magnets is that opposite poles attract. Usually its called north pole and south pole or something, positive and negative poles.

      Is that what is being called Antiferromagnets and Ferromagnets?

      • Natanael@infosec.pub
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        20 hours ago

        Ferromagnets have many molecule level magnets which align poles with other fields and antiferromagnets have opposing molecular magnets which cause all magnetic interaction to cancel out to zero.

        So they’re names of pole alignment types.

      • DaveyRocket@lemmy.world
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        2 days ago

        Not quite. Best I can gather is the material is different (ferrous material implies iron, but I think this describes the behavior, not the constituent parts).

        I think that’s right, but maybe I’m annoingly wrong enough to elicite a smarter person to correct me 🫣