Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Heat makes electrons’ spin in magnetic superconductors

Abstract:
Physicists have shown how heat can be exploited for controlling magnetic properties of matter. The finding helps in the development of more efficient mass memories. The result was published yesterday in Physical Review Letters. The international research group behind the breakthrough included Finnish researchers from the University of Jyväskylä and Aalto University.

Heat makes electrons’ spin in magnetic superconductors

Helsinki, Finland | Posted on April 26th, 2015

The ability to control the huge amount of information within the Internet is largely based on the ability to use the magnetic properties of electrons for reading memory devices. The phenomenon is based on the fact that each electron spins in a certain direction. This spin is closely connected with magnetism. Since the 1990s this property has been used for a fast reading of the information in magnetic memories. That is because it was found that the direction of magnetic poles affects the electrical resistivity of magnetic materials.

Lately many research groups have aimed at finding a method for using the electric current also to modify the magnetic information, which would make the data writing process much faster than in today’s magnetic memories. However, the known methods tend to produce too much heat. One of the research directions has been to exploit the heat to convert it to a spin current of the electrons, which would then be used for writing the information.

In the research published yesterday the research group showed how heat is converted to spin current in magnetic superconductors. Many metals turn superconducting a few degrees away from the absolute zero of temperature. As a result, the electrical resistivity of the metal vanishes. Magnetic superconductors can be fabricated by placing a superconducting film on top of a magnetic insulator.

Because superconductivity is present only at low temperatures, this phenomenon cannot be directly used in memory applications.

- Our theory is based on superconductivity, but the vanishing resistance is not very essential in it. Because of that the phenomenon could be generalized to other kinds of materials, and possibly such that it would work also at room temperature, explains Prof. Tero Heikkilä from the University of Jyväskylä.

The now published work was theoretical, but the phenomenon has been already found experimentally.

- Our work explained recent experimental results on the seemingly long lifetime of spin in superconductors. The finding resulted from the conversion of heat into spin, explains Dr Pauli Virtanen from the Aalto University.

####

About Suomen Akatemia (Academy of Finland)
The Academy of Finland’s mission is to fund high-quality scientific research, provide expertise in science and science policy, and strengthen the position of science and research. We are an agency within the administrative branch of the Finnish Ministry of Education, Science and Culture.

We work to contribute to the renewal, diversification and increasing internationalisation of Finnish research. Our activities cover the full spectrum of scientific disciplines.

We support and facilitate researcher training and research careers, internationalisation and the application of research results. We are also keen to emphasise the importance of research impact and breakthrough research. We therefore encourage researchers to submit boundary-crossing applications that involve risks but also offer promise and potential for scientifically significant breakthroughs.

Our funding for research amounts to 310 million euros in 2014. Each year, our funding contributes to some 8,000 people’s work at universities and research institutes in Finland.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Leena Vahakyla
+358295335139

Copyright © AlphaGalileo

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related Links

Full bibliographic information

Related News Press

News and information

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Superconductivity

Superconductors: Amazingly orderly disorder: A surprising effect was discovered through a collaborative effort by researchers from TU Wien and institutions in Croatia, France, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the US during the investigation of a special material: the atoms are May 14th, 2025

Lattice-driven charge density wave fluctuations far above the transition temperature in Kagome superconductor April 25th, 2025

Researchers observe “locked” electron pairs in a superconductor cuprate August 16th, 2024

Shedding light on perovskite hydrides using a new deposition technique: Researchers develop a methodology to grow single-crystal perovskite hydrides, enabling accurate hydride conductivity measurements May 17th, 2024

Spintronics

An earth-abundant mineral for sustainable spintronics: Iron-rich hematite, commonly found in rocks and soil, turns out to have magnetic properties that make it a promising material for ultrafast next-generation computing April 25th, 2025

‘Brand new physics’ for next generation spintronics: Physicists discover a unique quantum behavior that offers a new way to manipulate electron-spin and magnetization to push forward cutting-edge spintronic technologies, like computing that mimics the human brain January 17th, 2025

Researchers discover a potential application of unwanted electronic noise in semiconductors: Random telegraph noises in vanadium-doped tungsten diselenide can be tuned with voltage polarity August 11th, 2023

Quantum materials: Electron spin measured for the first time June 9th, 2023

Memory Technology

An earth-abundant mineral for sustainable spintronics: Iron-rich hematite, commonly found in rocks and soil, turns out to have magnetic properties that make it a promising material for ultrafast next-generation computing April 25th, 2025

Utilizing palladium for addressing contact issues of buried oxide thin film transistors April 5th, 2024

Interdisciplinary: Rice team tackles the future of semiconductors Multiferroics could be the key to ultralow-energy computing October 6th, 2023

Researchers discover materials exhibiting huge magnetoresistance June 9th, 2023

Discoveries

Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025

Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Announcements

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters

Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025

Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025

Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025

A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025

Research partnerships

INRS and ELI deepen strategic partnership to train the next generation in laser science:PhD students will benefit from international mobility and privileged access to cutting-edge infrastructure June 6th, 2025

Superconductors: Amazingly orderly disorder: A surprising effect was discovered through a collaborative effort by researchers from TU Wien and institutions in Croatia, France, Poland, Singapore, Switzerland, and the US during the investigation of a special material: the atoms are May 14th, 2025

HKU physicists uncover hidden order in the quantum world through deconfined quantum critical points April 25th, 2025

SMART researchers pioneer first-of-its-kind nanosensor for real-time iron detection in plants February 28th, 2025

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project