Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 17, 2026
10:36
Advanced Experimental Methods for Low-temperature Magnetotransport Measurement of Novel Materials
Published on: January 21, 2016
Physics. Magnetic fields give heat a curious sideways shove.
Science (New York, N.Y.)
|October 22, 2005
Summary
A magnetic field can divert heat flow sideways, similar to how it affects electric currents in the Hall effect. The exact mechanism behind this thermal Hall effect remains an area of active research.
Area of Science:
- Physics
- Materials Science
- Thermodynamics
Background:
- The Hall effect describes the sideways deflection of electric current by a magnetic field.
- A similar phenomenon, the thermal Hall effect, has been observed where heat flow is also deflected sideways by a magnetic field.
Discussion:
- This sideways deflection of heat by a magnetic field is an intriguing physical phenomenon.
- The precise underlying mechanism causing this thermal deflection is not yet fully understood by researchers.
Key Insights:
- Magnetic fields can exert a force on heat, redirecting its flow.
- The behavior observed in heat mirrors principles of the established Hall effect in electrical systems.
Outlook:
- Further investigation is needed to elucidate the exact physics governing the magnetic deflection of heat.
- Understanding this phenomenon could lead to new insights in thermal management and materials science.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Magnetic Fields
A moving charge or a current creates a magnetic field in the surrounding space, in addition to its electric field. The magnetic field exerts a force on any other moving charge or current that is present in the field. Like an electric field, the magnetic field is also a vector field. At any position, the direction of the magnetic field is defined as the direction in which the north pole of a compass needle points.
A magnetic field is defined by the force that a charged particle experiences...
A magnetic field is defined by the force that a charged particle experiences...
01:19Magnetic Field Lines
The representation of magnetic fields by magnetic field lines is very useful in visualizing the strength and direction of the magnetic field. Each of the magnetic field lines forms a closed loop. The field lines emerge from the north pole (N), loop around to the south pole (S), and continue through the bar magnet back to the north pole.
Magnetic field lines follow several hard-and-fast rules:
Magnetic field lines follow several hard-and-fast rules:
01:22Motion Of A Charged Particle In A Magnetic Field
A charged particle experiences a force when moving through a magnetic field. Consider the field to be uniform and the charged particle to move perpendicular to it. If the field is in a vacuum, the magnetic field is the dominant factor determining the motion. Since the magnetic force is perpendicular to the direction of motion, a charged particle follows a curved path. The particle continues to follow this curved path until it forms a complete circle. Another way to look at this is that the...
01:13Magnetic Force Between Two Parallel Currents
Two long, straight, and parallel current-carrying conductors exert a force of equal magnitude on one another. The direction of the force depends on the current direction in the conductors.
The force exerted by the magnetic field due to the first conductor over a finite length of the second conductor is given as the product of the current in the second conductor and the vector product of the length vector along the current element and the field due to the first conductor. According to the...
The force exerted by the magnetic field due to the first conductor over a finite length of the second conductor is given as the product of the current in the second conductor and the vector product of the length vector along the current element and the field due to the first conductor. According to the...
01:25Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges
A stationary charge creates and interacts with the electric field, while a moving charge creates a magnetic field.
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
Consider a point charge moving with a constant velocity. Like the electric field, the magnetic field at any point is directly proportional to the magnitude of the charge and inversely proportional to the square of the distance between the source point and the field point. However, unlike the electric field, the magnetic field is always perpendicular to the plane containing the line...
01:18Magnetic Force
In addition to the electric forces between electric charges, moving electric charges exert magnetic forces on each other. A magnetic field is created by a moving charge or a group of moving charges known as the electric current. A magnetic force is experienced by a second current or moving charge in response to this magnetic field. Fundamentally, interactions between moving electrons in the atoms of two bodies produce magnetic forces between them.
The magnetic force acting on a moving charge...
The magnetic force acting on a moving charge...