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Related Concept Videos

Torque On A Current Loop In A Magnetic Field01:13

Torque On A Current Loop In A Magnetic Field

The most common application of magnetic force on current-carrying wires is in electric motors. These consist of loops of wire, which are placed between the magnets with a magnetic field. When current flows through the loops, the magnetic field applies torque, which causes the shaft to rotate, thus converting electrical energy to mechanical energy.
Consider a rectangular current-carrying loop containing N turns of wire, placed in a uniform magnetic field. The net force on a current-carrying loop...
Magnetic Field due to Moving Charges01:23

Magnetic 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...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Magnetic Moment00:59

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Magnetic Moment

All atomic nuclei are positively charged. When they have a nonzero spin, they behave like rotating charges. As a consequence of their charge and spin, these nuclei generate a magnetic field (B). This, in turn, gives rise to a magnetic moment (μ), which is randomly oriented in the absence of an external magnetic field. When an external magnetic field (B0) is applied, the magnetic moment vectors can align with the field or against it in 2 + 1 orientations. A hydrogen nucleus, which is just a...
Paramagnetism01:30

Paramagnetism

Paramagnets are materials with unpaired electrons that possess a finite magnetic moment. In the absence of a magnetic field, these moments are randomly oriented, and thus the net moment is zero. Under an external field, a torque acting on the moments tends to align them along the field's direction. However, the random thermal motion of electrons produces a torque opposite to the external field and tries to disorient the moments. These two competing effects align only a few moments along the...
Diamagnetism01:26

Diamagnetism

Materials consisting of paired electrons have zero net magnetic moments. However, when these materials are placed under an external magnetic field, the moments opposite to the field are induced. Such materials are called diamagnets. Diamagnetism is the response of the diamagnets when placed in an external magnetic field.
Diamagnetism was discovered by Anton Brugmans in 1778 when he observed that bismuth gets repelled by magnetic fields, thus theorizing that diamagnets get repelled by magnets.
Force On A Current Loop In A Magnetic Field01:17

Force On A Current Loop In A Magnetic Field

Magnetic forces on wires carrying current are most frequently applied in motors. A DC motor is a device that converts electrical energy into mechanical work. In motors, wire loops are enclosed in a magnetic field. When current flows through the loops, the magnetic field applies torque, which causes the shaft to rotate. The direction of the current is reversed once the loop's surface area is lined up with the magnetic field, causing a constant torque on the loop. During the process, commutators...

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Magnetic Tweezers for the Measurement of Twist and Torque
11:41

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Published on: May 19, 2014

Spin-transfer torque on a single magnetic adatom.

F Delgado1, J J Palacios, J Fernández-Rossier

  • 1Departamento de Física Aplicada, Universidad de Alicante, San Vicente del Raspeig, 03690, Spain.

Physical Review Letters
|April 7, 2010
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Researchers demonstrate controlling single magnetic adatom spin orientation using spin-polarized electrons in scanning tunneling microscopy. This spin-assisted inelastic tunneling allows for rapid, reversible magnetic switching.

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Area of Science:

  • Condensed Matter Physics
  • Surface Science
  • Quantum Mechanics

Background:

  • Controlling the magnetic properties of individual atoms is crucial for developing next-generation data storage and spintronic devices.
  • Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) offers atomic-scale resolution for probing and manipulating matter.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To theoretically investigate the control of a single magnetic adatom's spin orientation using spin-polarized electrons.
  • To elucidate the physical mechanism enabling this spin control.
  • To determine the feasibility and timescale of reversing adatom magnetization.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical modeling of spin-polarized electron interactions with a single magnetic adatom.
  • Simulation of spin-assisted inelastic tunneling processes within a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) setup.
  • Analysis of the influence of current direction, bias voltage, and temperature on magnetic adatom dynamics.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated theoretical control over the spin orientation of a single magnetic adatom via spin-polarized electrons.
  • Identified spin-assisted inelastic tunneling as the key physical mechanism.
  • Showed that adatom magnetization can be completely reversed by altering current direction.
  • Established reversal timescales ranging from nanoseconds to microseconds, dependent on experimental parameters.

Conclusions:

  • Spin-polarized electrons in an STM configuration provide a viable method for manipulating single magnetic adatom spins.
  • The spin-assisted inelastic tunneling mechanism offers precise control over magnetic orientation.
  • This theoretical framework supports the development of atomic-scale magnetic memory and spintronic devices.