Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Ultrafast uncoupled magnetism in atoms: A new step towards computers of the future

Abstract:
Future computers will require a magnetic material which can be manipulated ultra-rapidly by breaking the strong magnetic coupling. A study has been published in Nature Communications today in which Swedish and German scientists demonstrate that even the strongest magnetic coupling may be broken within picoseconds (10-12 s). This will open up an exciting new area of research.

Ultrafast uncoupled magnetism in atoms: A new step towards computers of the future

Uppsala, Sweden | Posted on September 10th, 2015

The element gadolinium is named after the Uppsala chemist Johan Gadolin who discovered the first rare-earth metal yttrium in the late 1700s. Gadolinium is in the same class of elements and it has unique magnetic properties which make it especially interesting for magnetic data storage. Its most useful property is that it has the greatest spin magnetic moment of any element since there are two different magnetic moments on every atom. These spin moments are coupled in parallel so strongly that no existing magnetic field on earth could break the coupling.

An international collaboration between Karel Carva and Peter Oppeneer, two physicists from Uppsala University, and researchers from the Free University Berlin and Konstanz University in Germany has shown that it is possible to break the coupling between the spin moments. Researchers in Berlin used light pulses shorter than picoseconds to excite metallic gadolinium and then monitored the spin dynamics of both spin moments with ultra-short, high-energy x-ray flashes. The spin dynamics they revealed showed that the strong coupling was broken within picoseconds (10-12 s) and it remained uncoupled for almost 100 picoseconds. The theoretical calculations of the Uppsala researchers provided a detailed explanation of how this fundamental magnetic interaction can be overcome.

"Not too long ago it became clear that the weaker coupling between spin moments on different atoms of a material can be broken. We've now shown that even the stronger spin magnetic coupling within an individual atom can be overpowered. This provides new opportunities to manipulate magnetic materials and opens new paths to the data storage of the future," says professor Peter Oppeneer.

####

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Peter Oppeneer

46-070-960-4016

Copyright © Uppsala University

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

Article reference: Disparate ultrafast dynamics of itinerant and localized magnetic moments in gadolinium metal, B. Frietsch, J. Bowlan, R. Carley, M. Teichmann, S. Wienholdt, D. Hinzke, U. Nowak, K. Carva, P.M. Oppeneer & M. Weinelt:

Related News Press

News and information

Quantum computer improves AI predictions April 17th, 2026

Flexible sensor gains sensitivity under pressure April 17th, 2026

A reusable chip for particulate matter sensing April 17th, 2026

Detecting vibrational quantum beating in the predissociation dynamics of SF6 using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy April 17th, 2026

New UBC wash removes pesticides and extends produce shelf life: Natural, biodegradable rinse removes up to 96 per cent of pesticide residue and slowed spoilage in apples and grapes April 17th, 2026

Physics

UC Irvine physicists discover method to reverse ‘quantum scrambling’ : The work addresses the problem of information loss in quantum computing system April 17th, 2026

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

Magnetism/Magnons

Metasurfaces smooth light to boost magnetic sensing precision January 30th, 2026

Researchers develop molecular qubits that communicate at telecom frequencies October 3rd, 2025

First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025

Possible Futures

A fundamentally new therapeutic approach to cystic fibrosis: Nanobody repairs cellular defect April 17th, 2026

Qjump: Shallow-circuit quantum sampling guides combinatorial optimization On up to 104 superconducting qubits, Qjump assists in searching the ground states of hard Ising problems and might outperform simulated annealing on near-term quantum hardware April 17th, 2026

Rice study resolves decades-old mystery in organic light-emitting crystals: Findings reveal how molecular defects can enhance light conversion efficiency: April 17th, 2026

UC Irvine physicists discover method to reverse ‘quantum scrambling’ : The work addresses the problem of information loss in quantum computing system April 17th, 2026

Chip Technology

A reusable chip for particulate matter sensing April 17th, 2026

When light gets trapped at nanoscale: New ways to power the future of optoelectronics From bound states in the continuum to machine-learning design, photonic metasurfaces are opening scalable routes to efficient light control April 17th, 2026

Rice study resolves decades-old mystery in organic light-emitting crystals: Findings reveal how molecular defects can enhance light conversion efficiency: April 17th, 2026

Metasurfaces smooth light to boost magnetic sensing precision January 30th, 2026

Memory Technology

Researchers tackle the memory bottleneck stalling quantum computing October 3rd, 2025

First real-time observation of two-dimensional melting process: Researchers at Mainz University unveil new insights into magnetic vortex structures August 8th, 2025

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

Discoveries

Quantum computer improves AI predictions April 17th, 2026

Flexible sensor gains sensitivity under pressure April 17th, 2026

A reusable chip for particulate matter sensing April 17th, 2026

Detecting vibrational quantum beating in the predissociation dynamics of SF6 using time-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy April 17th, 2026

Announcements

A fundamentally new therapeutic approach to cystic fibrosis: Nanobody repairs cellular defect April 17th, 2026

Qjump: Shallow-circuit quantum sampling guides combinatorial optimization On up to 104 superconducting qubits, Qjump assists in searching the ground states of hard Ising problems and might outperform simulated annealing on near-term quantum hardware April 17th, 2026

Rice study resolves decades-old mystery in organic light-emitting crystals: Findings reveal how molecular defects can enhance light conversion efficiency: April 17th, 2026

UC Irvine physicists discover method to reverse ‘quantum scrambling’ : The work addresses the problem of information loss in quantum computing system April 17th, 2026

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

A fundamentally new therapeutic approach to cystic fibrosis: Nanobody repairs cellular defect April 17th, 2026

Qjump: Shallow-circuit quantum sampling guides combinatorial optimization On up to 104 superconducting qubits, Qjump assists in searching the ground states of hard Ising problems and might outperform simulated annealing on near-term quantum hardware April 17th, 2026

Rice study resolves decades-old mystery in organic light-emitting crystals: Findings reveal how molecular defects can enhance light conversion efficiency: April 17th, 2026

UC Irvine physicists discover method to reverse ‘quantum scrambling’ : The work addresses the problem of information loss in quantum computing system April 17th, 2026

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