Some magnetic materials can spontaneously oscillate — like clocks wound by heat. Atoms in them switch between strong and weak magnetic states. Simulations have shown that the feedback between magnetization and temperature, in agreement with thermodynamics, turns a constant heat influx into rhythmic jumps. Although entropy (a measure of disorder) increases, at the micro level, thermal jolts of molecules become ordered, like in a clockwork where random nudges keep it running.

This 'magnetic ticker' promises new types of memory and brain-like processors.

The theoretical foundation was laid by Lev Landau, Ludwig Boltzmann, and Roy Glauber. Their ideas suggest that FeBO₃ crystals will exhibit the effect at a temperature of -198 °C.