A "tunable Heisenberg model" designed by physicists from MIT reveals the effect of magnetic forces at the quantum level, addressing the fundamental nature of magnetism and advancing the human understanding of one of the most common phenomena.
The team, from the Physics Department of the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atoms and Research Laboratory of Electronics, published their latest findings in the journal Nature, December 16. Their report details their observations from experimenting with ultracold lithium atoms, finding different spinning behaviors among the atoms. The equilibrium orientation spinning atoms return to depend on the magnetic forces between individual Li atoms. Some atoms spin faster than others, while some follow a slower, diffused pattern.
This discovery marked the first time that these varying spin behaviors have been observed, although it has been predicted by the Heisenberg model - a set of mathematical equations by Werner Heisenberg that describes critical points and phase transitions in magnetic systems.
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