Layered magnet loses strength under pressure
The crystal Pr₄Ni₃O₁₀ is like a three-layer sandwich: nickel oxide layers separated by praseodymium spacers. As it cools, three magnetic regimes switch on in sequence, as if, inside the sandwich, the nickel spins first align, then slightly rearrange, and finally the praseodymium spins join in.
Muons, heavy cousins of electrons, penetrate the crystal and sense internal magnetic fields.
