A Magnetic Metal for Future Electronics ⚡ экспресс
Scientists studied the alloy Co₂FeGe (cobalt-iron-germanium). It is both magnetic and highly conductive — like a pipe that carries water and also attracts metal itself. Magnetic properties come from cobalt and iron atoms. Such a material could speed up computer chips. Could this alloy become the key to super-electronics?
Every electron in a conductor is like a spinning top: it moves and spins at the same time. In ordinary electronics, only the movement — electric current — matters. But the direction of spin carries an extra bit of information. Scientists have long sought materials where these microscopic tops can be controlled without loss. Computer modeling of the alloy Co2FeGe (cobalt, iron, germanium) showed that its electrons spin together in one direction. Such alignment reduces chaos in spin arrangement and yields a rare combination — magnetism with high conductivity. Moreover, it lets through only electrons with one spin direction, like a turnstile that sorts by clockwise rotation. This property paves the way for memory devices that barely heat up and work an order of magnitude faster. Verification of the prediction will rest on a computer analogue of spectroscopy — a method that "sees" spins by reflected light (like measuring the brightness of reflected light in a camera). All calculations relied on the standard quantum model.
🎯 The first Heusler alloy was discovered by accident in 1903: mixing copper, manganese, and aluminum — none of them magnetic — produced a material attracted to a magnet. It's as if mixing flour and water suddenly yielded a battery.