British Scientists Create First-Ever Room-Temperature Magnetic Monopole
Late last year, English scientists created the first real-world instance of spin ice, a long-hypothesized type of crystal that can behave as a magnet with only one pole. These monopole magnets could form the basis of quantum computing memory, so it was disappointing to find out that the spin ice only behaved as a monopole at -454 degrees Fahrenheit. Scientists at Imperial College London have now revived the dream of monopole quantum memory by creating artificial spin ice that works at room temperature. The artificial spin ice is formed from nano-scale cobalt rods assembled in a honeycomb structure. Each rod is a regular magnet, with a north and south pole. In the hexagonal structure of the honey comb, each joint involves the junction of one attractive, and two repelling charged ends of the cobalt magnets. By utilizing the charge imbalance at each vertex to control the flow of magnetic identity in...