University of Toronto physicists have detected an unusual magnetic order defined by eight poles, challenging the conventional understanding of magnetism rooted in simple north and south orientations. The team established a new method for observing these elusive quantum magnetic states by using light to probe atomic vibrations caused by electron spin, a technique that bypasses limitations of traditional methods.
“We identified new signatures of a hidden type of magnetic state which cannot be detected using ordinary probes,” says Arun Paramekanti, a professor at the University of Toronto, whose work published in Physical Review Letters represents a critical first step toward using multi-polar magnetism for technologies like controllable read-write memory.
Light-Based Probing Reveals Elusive Octupolar Magnetic States
This approach allowed researchers to identify previously hidden signatures of the octupolar magnetic state within crystalline materials, revealing a pattern of eight magnetic poles instead of the standard two. Rory Sutcliffe and Kathleen Hart, PhD candidates, were instrumental in establishing this light-based observation method, focusing on the subtle movements within the magnetic material. Detecting these higher-order magnetic states could lead to advancements in data storage and computing.
We identified new signatures of a hidden type of magnetic state which cannot be detected using ordinary probes.
Arun Paramekanti, Professor in the Department of Physics and the Centre for Quantum Information & Quantum Control at the University of Toronto
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