Can non-magnetic materials still produce magnetism at room temperature

Magnets and their magnetic fields are usually generated by circulating currents, as found in everyday electromagnetic coils. The 'rotation direction' of these coils (whether clockwise or counterclockwise) determines the direction in which the magnetic field is generated. In theory, when a non-magnetic metal disk is irradiated with linearly polarized light, this light does not have any rotational properties of its own circulating current, so magnetism can spontaneously appear in the disk. This method theoretically can use lasers to turn non-ferrous metals into magnets "as needed".

Recently, researchers from Stockholm University in Sweden, the Nordic Institute of Theoretical Physics, and the University of Venice in Italy have successfully demonstrated for the first time how lasers induce quantum behavior at room temperature and make non-magnetic materials magnetic.

The research team placed a quantum material strontium titanate in a short and intense laser beam with a special wavelength and polarization, generating induced magnetism. This method allows light to move atoms and electrons in the material in a circular motion, generating an electric current and making it magnetic like a refrigerator magnet.

Researchers have achieved this by developing a new far-infrared light source. This light source has polarization in the shape of a bottle opener. This is the first time they have been able to induce and clearly see how materials become magnetic at room temperature in experiments.

Magnets are usually made of metal, and new methods allow for the use of many insulators to manufacture magnetic materials. This breakthrough is expected to be widely applied in various information technologies, opening the door for the development of ultra fast magnetic switches, information transmission and data storage, as well as faster and more energy-efficient computers. The study was published in the latest issue of the journal Nature.

Source: Science and Technology Daily