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Article: Physicists observe magnetism in gas for the first time.
- Article from:
- NewsRx Health & Science
- Article date:
- November 8, 2009
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An international team of physicists has for the first time observed magnetic behaviour in an atomic gas, addressing a decades-old debate as to whether it is possible for a gas or liquid to become ferromagnetic and exhibit magnetic properties.
"Magnets are all around us - holding postcards on the refrigerator, pointing to magnetic north on a compass, and in speakers and headphones - yet some mysteries remain," says Joseph H. Thywissen, a professor of physics at the University of Toronto and a visiting member of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology-based team leading the research. "We have perhaps found the simplest situation in which permanent magnetism can ...