http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/spintronics/ Spintronics. Read the latest research news on spintronics, including exotic properties and breakthroughs that hold promise for next-generation computers. en-us Sat, 26 May 2012 14:05:01 EDT Sat, 26 May 2012 14:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/matter_energy/spintronics/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120521102950.htm The relativistic Hall effect describing objects rotating at speeds comparable with the speed of light has now been reported. Mon, 21 May 2012 10:29:29 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120521102950.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120517193141.htm Researchers have come closer to solving an old challenge of producing graphene quantum dots of controlled shape and size at large densities, which could revolutionize electronics and optoelectronics. Thu, 17 May 2012 19:31:31 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120517193141.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120515094136.htm Theorists and experimenters have explored the unique properties of topological insulators, where electrons may flow on the surface without resistance, with spin orientations and directions intimately related. Recent research opens exciting prospects for practical new room-temperature spintronic devices that can exploit control of electron spin as well as charge. Tue, 15 May 2012 09:41:41 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120515094136.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120425143645.htm "Quantum critical points" (QCP) in exotic electronic materials can act much like polarizing "hot button issues" in an election. On either side of the QCP, electrons fall into line and behave as traditionally expected, but the new study finds traditional physical laws break down at the critical point itself. Wed, 25 Apr 2012 14:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120425143645.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418134858.htm A new type of quantum bit called a "phase-slip qubit" has enabled the world's first-ever experimental demonstration of coherent quantum phase slip. The groundbreaking result sheds light on an elusive phenomenon whose existence -- a natural outcome of the theory of superconductivity -- has long been speculated, but never actually observed. Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:48:48 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418134858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418134847.htm An electron has been observed to decay into two separate parts, each carrying a particular property of the electron: a spinon carrying its spin -- the property making the electron behave as a tiny compass needle -- and an orbiton carrying its orbital moment -- which arises from the electron's motion around the nucleus. These newly created particles, however, cannot leave the material in which they have been produced. Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:48:48 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120418134847.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409133751.htm Scientists have developed a technology that enables engineers to observe processes occurring in liquid media on the smallest possible scale which is less than a nanometer. Mon, 09 Apr 2012 13:37:37 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409133751.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409103954.htm Researchers have developed a more efficient, less expensive way of cooling electronic devices – particularly devices that generate a lot of heat, such as lasers and power devices. Mon, 09 Apr 2012 10:39:39 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120409103954.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120404161943.htm A team of scientists has built a quantum computer in a diamond, the first of its kind to include protection against "decoherence" -- noise that prevents the computer from functioning properly. Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120404161943.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403172200.htm A new tool can help magnetic memory device designers detect defects in magnetic structures as small as a tenth of a micrometer even if the region in question is buried inside a multilayer electronic device. Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:22:22 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403172200.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403111858.htm Physicists have recently devised a new method for handling the effect of the interplay between vibrations and electrons on electronic transport. This study could have implications for quantum computers due to improvements in the transport of discrete amounts of information, known as qubits, that are encoded in electrons. Tue, 03 Apr 2012 11:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120403111858.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402185214.htm Physicists have developed a technique that allows them to control the mechanical property, or strain, on freestanding graphene. By controlling the strain, they also can control other properties of this important material. Mon, 02 Apr 2012 18:52:52 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/04/120402185214.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120330111051.htm Graphene could become the next big thing in the quest for smaller, less power-hungry electronics. Physicists are making discoveries that may advance electronic circuit technology. Fri, 30 Mar 2012 11:10:10 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120330111051.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120329141535.htm Physicists have discovered patterns which underlie the properties of a new state of matter. In a new study, the scientists describe the emergence of "spontaneous coherence," "spin textures" and "phase singularities" when excitons -- the bound pairs of electrons and holes that determine the optical properties of semiconductors and enable them to function as novel optoelectronic devices -- are cooled to near absolute zero. Thu, 29 Mar 2012 14:15:15 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120329141535.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326160956.htm Researchers have announced breakthroughs in the development of tunneling field effect transistors, a semiconductor technology that takes advantage of the quirky behavior of electrons at the quantum level. Mon, 26 Mar 2012 16:09:09 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120326160956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321152554.htm Scientists have synthesized graphene by reducing graphene oxide using microorganisms extracted from a local river. Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321152554.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321152551.htm Researchers have invented Hall effect magnetic field sensors that are operable at high temperatures and harmful radiation conditions. The sensors will find applications in space craft and nuclear power stations. Wed, 21 Mar 2012 15:25:25 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120321152551.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120227152731.htm Scientists appear to have resolved a long-standing controversy regarding the semiconductor gallium manganese arsenide, one of the most promising materials for spintronic technology. They've determined the source of the ferromagnetic properties that make gallium manganese arsenide such a hot commodity for the smaller, faster and much cheaper data storage and processing of spintronic devices. Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:27:27 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120227152731.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120226153510.htm Uncertainty affects the accuracy with which measurements can be made in quantum physics. To reduce this uncertainty, physicists have learned to "squeeze" certain measurements. Researchers are now reporting a new type of measurement that can be squeezed to improve precision. Sun, 26 Feb 2012 15:35:35 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120226153510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223182644.htm Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on the nanoscale and the ever-elusive quantum computer are among the advancements edging closer toward the realm of possibility, and a new study may give both an extra nudge. Thu, 23 Feb 2012 18:26:26 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223182644.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120219143325.htm Many experts think graphene could change the face of electronics -- especially if the scientific community can overcome a major challenge intrinsic to the material. Oxidation could be the answer. Sun, 19 Feb 2012 14:33:33 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120219143325.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151436.htm Pulsars are among the most exotic celestial bodies known. They have diameters of about 20 kilometers, but at the same time roughly the mass of our sun. A sugar-cube sized piece of its ultra-compact matter on Earth would weigh hundreds of millions of tons. A sub-class of them, known as millisecond pulsars, spin up to several hundred times per second around their own axes. Previous studies reached the paradoxical conclusion that some millisecond pulsars are older than the universe itself. Now this paradox may be solved by computer simulations, new research shows. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:14:14 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151436.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151035.htm Wonder material graphene has been touted as the next silicon, with one major problem -- it is too conductive to be used in computer chips. Now scientists have given its prospects a new lifeline. Scientists have now literally opened a third dimension in graphene research. Their research shows a transistor that may prove the missing link for graphene to become the next silicon. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:10:10 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120202151035.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201102826.htm Magnetic random-access memory based on new spin transfer technology achieves higher storage density by packing multiple bits of data into each memory cell. Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:28:28 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120201102826.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124150413.htm Physicists have identified a property of "bilayer graphene" that the researchers say is analogous to finding the Higgs boson in particle physics. The physicists found that when the number of electrons on the BLG sheet is close to 0, the material becomes insulating -- a finding that has implications for the use of graphene as an electronic material in the semiconductor and electronics industries. Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:04:04 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120124150413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094804.htm Physicists have observed a new kind of interaction that can arise between electrons in a single-atom silicon transistor, offering a more complete understanding of the mechanisms that govern electron conduction in nano-structures at the atomic scale. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:48:48 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120123094804.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152546.htm Researchers have combined two fields -- quantum physics and nano physics -- and this has led to the discovery of a new method for laser cooling semiconductor membranes. Semiconductors are vital components in many electronics, and the efficient cooling of components is important for future quantum computers and ultrasensitive sensors. The new cooling method works quite paradoxically by heating the material. Using lasers, researchers cooled membrane fluctuations to minus 269 degrees C. Sun, 22 Jan 2012 15:25:25 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120122152546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120182916.htm The beauty of an electron’s spin is that it responds very rapidly to small magnetic fields. Such external magnetic fields can be used to reverse the direction of spin. In this way, information can be carried by a flow of electrons. Fri, 20 Jan 2012 18:29:29 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120120182916.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120116095529.htm Heisenberg's Uncertainty principle is arguably one of the most famous foundations of quantum physics. It says that not all properties of a quantum particle can be measured with unlimited accuracy. Until now, this has often been justified by the notion that every measurement necessarily has to disturb the quantum particle, which distorts the results of any further measurements. This, however, turns out to be an oversimplification, researchers now say. Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:55:55 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120116095529.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109211557.htm Engineers have discovered that the new material graphene conducts heat about 20 times faster than silicon, making it an option as a semiconductor material that could produce quieter and longer-lasting computers, cellphones and other devices. Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:15:15 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120109211557.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120108143603.htm Can organic matter behave like a fridge magnet? Scientists have now shown that it can. Researchers took nonmagnetic graphene and then either 'peppered' it with other nonmagnetic atoms like fluorine or removed some carbon atoms from the chicken wire. The empty spaces, called vacancies, and added atoms all turned out to be magnetic, exactly like atoms of, for example, iron. Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:36:36 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120108143603.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104135408.htm Scientists have used supercomputers to uncover the properties of a promising form of graphene, known as graphene nanowiggles. What they found was that graphitic nanoribbons can be segmented into several different surface structures called nanowiggles. Each of these structures produces highly different magnetic and conductive properties. The findings provide a blueprint that scientists can use to literally pick and choose a graphene nanostructure that is tuned and customized for a different task or device. Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/01/120104135408.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111125160906.htm Researchers discovered a collective electronic state not seen before in the bulk of either two individual insulating oxides, thus demonstrating that electrons at their interface can now exhibit ferromagnetism. Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:09:09 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111125160906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121142459.htm Researchers have made advances in better understanding correlated quantum matter that could change technology as we know it, according to a new study. Mon, 21 Nov 2011 14:24:24 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121142459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111107155410.htm Electrons moving in graphene behave in an unusual way, as demonstrated by 2010 Nobel Prize laureates for physics Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, who performed transport experiments on this one-carbon-atom-thick material. A review article explores the theoretical and experimental results to date of electrons tunneling through energy barriers in graphene. Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:54:54 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111107155410.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028103229.htm Europe's most precise electron microscope is now in use in Sweden. The 80-300 transmission electron microscope has been adjusted so it now provides a resolution of less than 0.7 Å (about half the distance between two atoms in a silicon crystal). Fri, 28 Oct 2011 10:32:32 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028103229.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028081955.htm Electrical engineers in Germany have succeeded in developing a new concept for ultrafast semiconductor lasers. The researchers make clever use of the intrinsic angular momentum of electrons, called spin, to successfully break the previous speed barriers. The new spin lasers have the potential to achieve modulation frequencies of well above 100 GHz in future. This is a decisive step towards high-speed data transmission, e.g. for the Internet of tomorrow. Fri, 28 Oct 2011 08:19:19 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111028081955.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111024084234.htm Thanks to a recently discovered effect in magnetic tunnel structures, thermoelectric voltages in nano-electronic junctions can be controlled. Mon, 24 Oct 2011 08:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111024084234.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019212836.htm Researchers have developed a low-power microchip that uses a combination of microfluidics and magnetic switches to trap and transport magnetic beads. The novel transport chip may have applications in biotechnology and medical diagnostics. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 21:28:28 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019212836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019164546.htm An advanced material that could help bring about next-generation "spintronic" computers has revealed one of its fundamental secrets to a team of scientists. Wed, 19 Oct 2011 16:45:45 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111019164546.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018092348.htm Building on earlier work showing how nanowires carved in impurity-laden diamond crystal can efficiently emit individual photons, researchers have developed a scalable manufacturing process to craft arrays of miniature, silver-plated-diamond posts that enable even greater photon control. The development supports efforts to create robust, room-temperature quantum computers by setting the stage for diamond-based microchips. Tue, 18 Oct 2011 09:23:23 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111018092348.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004123604.htm Physicists have created a tiny "electron superhighway" that could one day be useful for building a quantum computer -- a new type of computer that will use quantum particles in place of the digital transistors found in today's microchips. Researchers now describe how to make a "topological insulator," a much-sought device that could help physicists create elusive pairs of quantum particles that are particularly useful for storing information. Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/10/111004123604.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929074207.htm New research using graphene presents the most precise measurements of the quantum Hall effect ever made, one of the key steps in the process to redefine two Système Internationale d'unités (SI) units. New research is underpinning the biggest change in the SI Units since the system began 50 years ago. Thu, 29 Sep 2011 07:42:42 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110929074207.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922093724.htm Physicists have succeeded in taking a decisive step towards the development of more powerful computers. They were able to define two little quantum dots (QDs), occupied with electrons, in a semiconductor and to select a single electron from one of them using a sound wave, and then to transport it to the neighboring QD. Thu, 22 Sep 2011 09:37:37 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110922093724.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110912102114.htm Physicists have demonstrated the spin pumping effect in magnetic layers for the first time experimentally. The behavior of the spin pumping had previously only been predicted theoretically. Scientists have now succeeded in measuring the effect using ultrafast X-ray scattering with picosecond resolution. Through their rotation of the magnetic moments, the so-called magnetic precession, single electrons can mutually influence each other's rotation (spin) through a non-magnetic intermediate layer. Mon, 12 Sep 2011 10:21:21 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110912102114.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907075750.htm Scientists have now demonstrated that theories about nanoscale spin waves agree with observations. This opens the way to replacing microwave technology in many applications, such as mobile phones and wireless networks, by components that are much smaller, cheaper, and that require less resources. Wed, 07 Sep 2011 07:57:57 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110907075750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831160222.htm Researchers may help resolve the public debate over our future light source of choice: Edison's incandescent bulb or the more energy efficient compact fluorescent lamp. It could be neither. Instead, our future lighting needs may be supplied by a new breed of light emitting diode, or LED, that conjures light from the invisible world of quantum dots. Wed, 31 Aug 2011 16:02:02 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110831160222.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829114732.htm Is it time for a communications paradigm shift? Scientists calculate that encoding and sending information via electron spin, instead of voltage changes, may mean tiny chips could transmit more information and consume less power. Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:47:47 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110829114732.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110815113615.htm A new type of integrated circuit may be so energy efficient that it could run simply by harvesting energy from the environment. Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:36:36 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110815113615.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812161813.htm The world economy is becoming ever more reliant on high tech electronics such as computers featuring fingernail-sized microprocessors crammed with billions of transistors. For progress to continue, for Moore's Law -- according to which the number of computer components crammed onto microchips doubles every two years, even as the size and cost of components halves -- to continue, new materials and new phenomena need to be discovered. Researchers have now discovered a "kaleidoscope" of phases, which represent the lowest-energy states that are allowed given the magnetic interactions. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:18:18 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110812161813.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811141308.htm The Nobel Prize winning scientists Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov have taken a huge step forward in studying the wonder material graphene and revealing its exciting electronic properties for future electronic applications. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 14:13:13 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110811141308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801094558.htm Physicists in Germany have found for the first time a regular lattice of magnetic skyrmions -- cycloidal vortex spin structures of exceptional stability -- on a surface. The researchers discovered the magnetic skyrmions, which consist of 15 atoms, in an atomic layer of iron on the surface of an iridium crystal. This discovery could give new impetus to the area of spintronics. Mon, 01 Aug 2011 09:45:45 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/08/110801094558.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110731165937.htm Physicists have discovered a regular lattice of stable magnetic skyrmions -- radial spiral structures made up of atomic-scale spins -- on a surface instead of in bulk materials. Such tiny formations could one day form the basis of a new generation of smaller and more efficient data storage units in the field of information technology. Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:59:59 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110731165937.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110729175551.htm Hailed as the new "wonder material," graphene is being tapped to help overcome issues associated with increasing the storage density and speed of electronic memory devices. Fri, 29 Jul 2011 17:55:55 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110729175551.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110724135538.htm Physicists have taken a major step forward towards creating electronics using the wonder material graphene. They have studied in detail the effect of interactions between electrons on the electronic properties of graphene. Sun, 24 Jul 2011 13:55:55 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110724135538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110720103517.htm A violation of one of the oldest empirical laws of physics has been observed by scientists. The experiments on purple bronze, a metal with unique one-dimensional electronic properties, indicate that it breaks the Wiedemann-Franz Law. Wed, 20 Jul 2011 10:35:35 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110720103517.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110715135549.htm Manganites exhibiting colossal magnetoresistance and high-temperature superconductors are among materials that show their stripes, regions where electrical charges concentrate. Until now, only static stripes have been seen. A team of scientists have discovered a manganite whose stripes form or fall apart depending on the temperature, simultaneously giving rise to colossal changes in electrical conductivity. Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:55:55 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110715135549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110703133846.htm Scientists have taken one step closer to the next generation of computers. New research provides insight into spintronics, which has been hailed as the successor to the transistor. Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:38:38 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/07/110703133846.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110629171243.htm At the smallest scales, magnetism may not work quite the way scientists expected, according to a recent article. Wed, 29 Jun 2011 17:12:12 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110629171243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110628132607.htm Researchers have developed a technique for mass-producing defect-free boron nitride nanoribbons (BNNRs) of uniform length and thickness. BNNRs are predicted to display magnetic and electronic properties that hold enormous potential for future devices. Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:26:26 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/06/110628132607.htm