On the edge
Working with the tiniest magnets, researchers discover new magnetic
phenomenon with industrial potential

Date:
April 12, 2022
Source:
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Summary:
When looking at images of the magnetism generated by nano-magnets,
researchers revealed the phenomenon of 'edge magnetism': the
magnetic material only retained magnetism on its edge -- in fact
only within 10 nanometers of the edge.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Probing the world of the very, very small is a wonderland for
physicists. At this nano-scale, where materials as thin as 100 atoms are studied, totally new and unexpected phenomena are discovered. Here, nature ceases to behave in a way that is predictable by the macroscopic law of physics, unlike what goes on in the world around us or out in the cosmos.


==========================================================================
Dr. Yonathan Anahory at Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)'s Racah
Institute of Physics led the research team, which included HU doctoral
student Avia Noah.

He spoke of his astonishment when looking at images of the magnetism
generated by nano-magnets, "it was the first time we saw a magnet behaving
this way," as he described the images that revealed the phenomenon of
"edge magnetism." The images showed that the magnetic material the
HU researchers were studying only retained magnetism on its edge --
in fact only within 10 nanometers of the edge (remember a human hair is
around 100, 000 nanometers). Their results were published in the journal
Nano Letters.

This nano-effect, although very small, could actually have wide
applications in our daily lives. "In today's technological race to make
every component smaller and more energy efficient, effort is focused
towards small magnets with different shapes," Anahory shared. The
new edge magnetism offers the possibility of making long wire magnets
only 10 nanometers thick, which could curve into any shape. "It could revolutionize the way we make spintronics devices," added Anahory,
referring to the next-generation nano-electronic devices with reduced
power consumption and increased memory and processing capabilities The
actual discovery of edge magnetism was somewhat serendipitous: Anahory
decided to have a look at a new magnetic nano-material (CGT) produced
by his colleague at the Universidad Auto'noma de Madrid, in Spain. The discovery ultimately relied on images produced by a new type of magnetic microscopy developed in Israel, which can measure the magnetic field of
a single electron.

Discovering new phenomena relies on highly sophisticated new technologies.

Further, the phenomena themselves will be at the heart of even more
advanced technologies as edge magnetism has demonstrated.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
The_Hebrew_University_of_Jerusalem. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Avia Noah, Hen Alpern, Sourabh Singh, Alon Gutfreund, Gilad
Zisman, Tomer
D. Feld, Atzmon Vakahi, Sergei Remennik, Yossi Paltiel, Martin Emile
Huber, Victor Barrena, Hermann Suderow, Hadar Steinberg, Oded Millo,
Yonathan Anahory. Interior and Edge Magnetization in Thin Exfoliated
CrGeTe3 Films. Nano Letters, 2022; DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c04665 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/04/220412095336.htm

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