Harnessing Magnetism for Faster Computing

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Today’s computers store information in magnetic hard drives, keeping files safe even when the device is powered off.

Today’s computers store information in magnetic hard drives, keeping files safe even when the device is powered off. But to run programs and process information, computers rely on electricity. Each calculation requires a transfer of information between the electric and magnetic systems. This back-and-forth is a major bottleneck in the speed of modern computing.

Devices that integrate magnetic components directly into computing logic would remove this limitation and allow computers to perform faster and more efficiently.

A new theoretical study led by University of Delaware engineers reveals that magnons, a type of magnetic spin wave, can produce detectable electric signals. The findings, appearing in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, highlight potential ways to control and manipulate magnons with electric fields and suggest a path toward integrating electric and magnetic components to enable next-generation computing technologies.

Read more at: University of Delaware

A new theoretical study led by University of Delaware engineers reveals that magnons, a type of magnetic spin wave, can produce detectable electric signals. Pictured, Matt Doty, professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, and postdoctoral researcher D. Quang To discuss their findings. (Photo Credit: University of Delaware)