A new state of matter, kind of magnetism

[Render]

Researchers at MIT have discovered a new state of matter with a new kind of magnetism. This new state, called a quantum spin liquid (QSL), could lead to significant advances in data storage. QSLs also exhibit a quantum phenomenon called long-range entanglement, which could lead to new types of communications systems, and more.

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/143782-mit-discovers-a-new-state-of-matter-a-new-kind-of-magnetism

[AsteroidX]

Im going to assume the Government has already grabbed this technological advance as it would be a quite powerful weapon.

[lightly]

i 'm anxious to hear what our resident physicist (sepulchrave) has to say about this .. and what this means (if anything) in the BIG picture.

* h

Edited December 21, 2012 by lightly

[sepulchrave]

This research is definitely cool, but it isn't that exciting in the ``big picture''.

In a sense, this is analogous to the Higgs' boson; actually creating a 3D quantum spin liquid is pretty neat, but everyone assumed they existed already.

Quantum spin liquids in 1D atomic chains (like in KCuF₃) have been known about for quite some time (see this paper from 1995, for example).

Forming a quantum spin liquid in a 3D network is an important step towards using this effect for practical applications (like data storage and better batteries, personally I think the communications application could easily be served by 1D quantum spin liquids as well, but I am not completely sure about that), but remember that this effect only manifests at extremely low temperatures; in their paper the scientists report that they cooled the material to 1.6 K to measure the quantum spin liquid.

Until we can get materials to exhibit ``quantum weirdness'' (like QSL, or superconductivity, or Bose-Einstein condensation, etc.) at higher temperatures (ideally, room temperature) it will be quite difficult to get commonplace practical applications from these effects.

So: cool science, nice verification of predictions, but so far not likely to have a huge impact on materials science.

[lightly]

Thanks sepulchrave , for supplying a knowledge based perspective on the importance of this.

[AsteroidX]

Interesting Thank You. So it can be done at very low temperatures but not replicated at normal temperatures ?

[pallidin]

How interesting,

[sepulchrave]

Interesting Thank You. So it can be done at very low temperatures but not replicated at normal temperatures ?

Yes. Almost every time you hear of a ``weird quantum effect'' it is a low-temperature thing.

[AsteroidX]

Thnak You. that makes an interesting note for places like Io around Saturn I think it is. Very cold there.

[Collateral Damage]

I just want to know what they mean by, "new types of communication systems," is all.

Edited December 22, 2012 by xTc i_i

[sepulchrave]

I just want to know what they mean by, "new types of communication systems," is all.

I think they are talking about methods of implementing quantum cryptography, but I could be wrong.