One of the oldest technologies known to humans, magnetism, is at the forefront of new-age materials that could enable next-generation electronics and quantum computers. Researchers from Penn State and the University of California, San Diego have discovered a new method to control the magnetic behavior of a promising quantum material, which could lead to novel, efficient and ultra-fast devices.
The unique quantum mechanical make-up of this material allows it to carry lossless electrical currents, something of tremendous technological interest. A knob to control magnetism in this material could be used to efficiently control the currents.
The scientists said that a 2D material made of atomically thin stacked layers can be an example of a topological insulator. The currents conducted around the edges of the material could be lost in the form of heat, because it is magnetic. These functions could be unlocked by tuning the weak magnetic bonds between the layers of the material.
The scientists reported in the journal Nature Communications that tiny vibrations of atoms may be one way to achieve this.
Atomic wiggles are tiny wiggles that are present in all materials.
The scientists at Penn State studied the material using a technique called magneto-optical spectroscopy, shooting a laser onto a sample of the material and measuring the color and intensity of the reflected light. The team observed how the temperature and magnetic field changed.
The scientists observed changes in the intensity of the phonons as they altered the magnetic field. The weak inter-layer magnetic bonding is the reason for this effect.
We found that the magnetic structure of the material was strongly correlated with the phonon intensities.
Scientists at UC San Diego were able to track the atomic vibrations in real time. The scientists said that the phonons were many times faster than computer chips. A 3.5 gigahertz computer processor can operate at a rate of 3.5 billion times per second.
Peter Kim, graduate student at UC San Diego and co-author of the paper, said that the result was beautiful because we studied the material using different experimental methods at different institutions.
Scientists said more research is needed to use the magnetic knob. It could lead to ultra-fast devices that can efficiently and reversibly control currents.
A major challenge in making faster, more powerful electronic processors is that they heat up, according to Venkatraman Gopalan, professor of materials science and engineering and physics at Penn State. If we could find efficient ways to control materials that host lossless currents, that would allow us to deploy them in future energy efficient electronic devices.
More information: Hari Padmanabhan et al, Interlayer magnetophononic coupling in MnBi2Te4, Nature Communications (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-29545-5 Journal information: Nature Communications Citation: Method to control magnetic behavior in quantum material (2022, April 12) retrieved 12 April 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-04-method-magnetic-behavior-quantum-material.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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