Using a magnet to tune a magnet

Domain wall pattern for a ferromagnet. The technical use of the magnet is determined by the ease with which the walls can be moved, or equivalently, by the force with which they are pinned. Strong pinning gives a hard magnet, soft pinning a soft magnet. T

Article Summary

August 2, 2007 An international research team, led by scientists at the London Centre for Nanotechnology (LCN), has found a way to switch a material’s magnetic properties from ‘hard’ to ‘soft’ and back again – something which could lead to new ways of controlling electromagnetic devices. The research were published today in the journal Nature and shows how a magnet can be ‘tuned’ by subjecting it to a second magnetic field, perpendicular to the original.

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