Manish Kumar

A sheet of carbon just one atom thick is placed in a strong magnetic field and cooled to thousandths of a degree above absolute zero. A microwave microscope slides along the sheet's edge, measuring how well that edge conducts electricity.

A ring of magnetic atoms resembles a round dance where each participant holds hands with their neighbors. In ordinary magnets, each atom has its own permanent magnetic moment, and they interact like little arrows striving to align opposite to each other.