Xufeng Zhang is using magnets to make computers more power efficient at the quantum level. The Northeastern professor of electrical and computer engineering recently published two papers highlighting small-scale magnetic systems he and his team developed that could help make computers much more power efficient in the future.
From placing more than 300 microwave sources on a single computer chip (described in an article posted to the arXiv preprint server) to creating a new approach to making his systems easier to deploy globally (which is published in Physical Review Letters), Zhang is working on the cutting edge.
Central to Zhang's research are magnons, tiny waves that travel through magnetic materials—including nickel and iron—when they are disturbed.
Northeastern Global News caught up with Zhang to learn more about magnons, his research and their potential for the future of computing.
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