By Michael Irving
February 19, 2024
bands.https://newatlas.com/science/altermagne ... iscovered/
Scientists have confirmed the existence of a strange new form of magnetism. Hiding right under our noses, the team says that “altermagnetism” can be found in everyday materials and could have major technological uses.
The most familiar form of magnetism – the kind that keeps your kids’ terrible artworks pinned to your fridge – is what’s called ferromagnetism. The effect is produced when the spins of the electrons in the material all spin in the same direction. Another major branch is known as antiferromagnetism, which arises when electron spins alternate direction from their neighbors. Other forms include diamagnetism, paramagnetism and ferrimagnetism, which are all born from different mechanisms.
But now, a brand new form of magnetism has been discovered. It’s been dubbed altermagnetism, and it features a weird mix of properties from other types of the phenomenon – its electrons spin in alternating directions, like antiferromagnets, which means it doesn’t produce magnetization. But the material’s energy bands also have alternating spins from neighboring