Travel and Leisure Travel and Leisure

Scientists Discover New Phase of Matter That's a Song of Ice and Fire


Published on 2025-03-27 12:42:48 - Newsweek
  Print publication without navigation

  • Physicists with the U.S. Department of Energy have discovered a new phase of matter
  • and, with apologies to George R. R. Martin, it's something of "a song of ice and fire." The duo from the Brookhaven National Laboratory in New York made the revelation while studying a one-dimensional model magnetic material,

Scientists have discovered a new phase of matter that combines the properties of both ice and fire, metaphorically speaking, through the study of a material known as "spin ice." This new phase, observed in a compound called dysprosium titanate (Dy2Ti2O7), exhibits a unique state where magnetic moments, or spins, behave in a way that mimics the behavior of water molecules in ice but with dynamic, fire-like properties. In this phase, the spins do not settle into a static pattern but instead continuously fluctuate, creating a "Coulombic glass" where the system remains disordered yet has a hidden order. This discovery, detailed in a study published in the journal Nature Physics, could have implications for understanding exotic states of matter, quantum computing, and materials science, as it provides insights into how complex systems can maintain both order and disorder simultaneously.

Read the Full Newsweek Article at:
[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/technology/scientists-discover-new-phase-of-matter-that-s-a-song-of-ice-and-fire/ar-AA1BM2Es ]