Scientists Have Confirmed the Existence of a Third Form of Magnetism

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• Scientists have created, manipulated, and imaged an altermagnetic material for the first time.

• This theorized material has likely existed forever, but now we can tune and measure it directly.

• Electron spin patterns affect electronic fields like solid state hard drives and superconductors.

Scientists have recently crafted and taken images of a novel new magnetic substance known as an altermagnetic material. While some discoveries are theorized decades before scientists can finally make or observe them, altermagnetism has arrived in the collective scientific consciousness over just a few years. And now, in a new paper, scientists show that they can tune these materials very precicely in order to create specific directions of magnetism. This work appears in the peer-reviewed journal Nature.

In fact, they’ve been able to confirm a wild (but substantiated) theory—that altermagnetism could combine regular ferromagnetism with antiferromagnetism (as the names suggest, these were believed to be incompatible opposites). While it might not have much impact on your refrigerator magnet collection, for people who make superconductors and topological materials at near-absolute zero, this could be the next big thing.

Standard ferromagnetic materials (a word that means “guiding iron”) work by exercising a force on nearby objects made of iron or other qualifying elements and alloys. On the flip side, antiferromagnetism describes how these magnets can act in a very mild and almost invisible way on materials that don’t fall under the “ferrous” umbrella. And electromagnets—made by running a current through a coiled wire—work the same way, but more powerfully and while depending on that electrical current. Earth has a magnetic field in part because its spinning, molten metal core acts like an electromagnet.

In an altermagnet, however, the direction of spin (which influences magnetism) can vary on the “grid” formed by what’s known as an ideal crystal—a material whose crystal patterns are perfect and not interrupted by faults, directional changes, or a host of other things that can all happen naturally. Many natural diamonds are ideal crystals, for example, which is part of what gives them their extremely clear appearance. But metals can be ideal crystals as well.

In this experiment, the scientists used photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM), polarized in order to help reveal magnetic influence, to map the entire grid structure of crystalline manganese telluride (MnTe). Their combined visual showed the underlying crystal structure, with a grid of arrows indicating the directions of magnetism at each point. The scientists were also able to manipulate the points of magnetic spin.

Researchers first showed experimental evidence of altermagnetism in research published earlier this year, but they didn’t image the resulting material in this much detail. In that experiment, the researchers used a momentum microscope focused on a special area above the material that shows how its different electrons are spinning—the vital factor that determines how magnetism works. This work was another important step toward imaging the altermagnets in action.

Nanomaterials in general are of high interest in many fields of research. Quantum computers operate on this level, and still have a ways to go before they’re practical outside of extremely specific and highly controlled lab settings. Altermagnetic materials may also revolutionize a field called spintronics, which refers to the study and optimization of solid state devices—including solid state drives (SSDs) in computers and smartphones—that make use of electron spin. While the traditional ferromagnets we use today are fine in many ways, they aren’t ideal, and can introduce a blurring between separated bits of data known as crosstalk.

On a nano level, everything we store inside our devices is the result of the coordinated action of electrons. If these materials could be improved, it could mean higher efficiency, more storage within the same size of material, and less loss when data is accessed. And, the scientists conclude in their paper, altermagnets could help to further the study of practical superconductors and topological materials.

It seems the future of electronics could rely on highly customized spin patterns.

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