How Magnetism Works: Electron Bonds Stronger Than Thought

Why are some metals magnetic? This question is a challenge not only for school children, but a well-founded scientific answer is also elusive. A paper by a team of scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich and Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg makes this even clearer. Using cobalt as a magnetic material, the researchers were the first to visualize those interactions between single electrons that ultimately give rise to magnetic properties.

This in turn enabled the first detailed insights into the electronic origin of magnetism, something that could only be addressed theoretically in the past. For their investigations, the researchers utilized an electron microscope operated by Forschungszentrum Jülich at the Elettra storage ring in Trieste, Italy.

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Source: Forschungszentrum Jülich - Peter-Grünberg-Institute (PGI)