Engineers on the University of Delaware have uncovered a brand new technique to connect magnetic and electric forces in computing, a finding that might pave the way in which for computers that run dramatically faster while consuming far less energy.
Tiny Magnetic Waves Generate Electric Signals
In a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the university’s Center for Hybrid, Lively and Responsive Materials (CHARM), a National Science Foundation-funded Materials Research Science and Engineering Center, report that magnons — tiny magnetic waves that move through solid materials — are able to generating measurable electric signals.
This discovery suggests that future computer chips could merge magnetic and electric systems directly, removing the necessity for the constant energy exchange that limits the performance of today’s devices.
How Magnons Transmit Information
Traditional electronics depend on the flow of charged electrons, which lose energy as heat when moving through circuits. In contrast, magnons carry information through the synchronized “spin” of electrons, creating wave-like patterns across a fabric. In response to theoretical models developed by the UD team, when these magnetic waves travel through antiferromagnetic materials, they will induce electric polarization, effectively making a measurable voltage.
Toward Ultrafast, Energy-Efficient Computing
Antiferromagnetic magnons can move at terahertz frequencies — around a thousand times faster than magnetic waves in conventional materials. This exceptional speed points to a promising path for ultrafast, low-power computing. The researchers at the moment are working to confirm their theoretical predictions through experiments and to analyze how magnons interact with light, which may lead to much more efficient ways of controlling them.
Advancing Quantum Material Research
This work contributes to CHARM’s larger goal of developing hybrid quantum materials for cutting-edge technologies. The middle’s researchers study how several types of materials — comparable to magnetic, electronic, and quantum systems — will be combined and controlled to create next-generation technologies. CHARM’s goal is to design smart materials that reply to their environments and enable breakthroughs in computing, energy, and communication.
The study’s co-authors are Federico Garcia-Gaitan, Yafei Ren, M. Benjamin Jungfleisch, John Q. Xiao, Branislav K. Nikolić, Joshua Zide, and Garnett W. Bryant (NIST/University of Maryland). Funding was provided by the National Science Foundation under award DMR-2011824