Magnetic fields are invisible forces that exert influence on magnetic materials and charged particles. They are produced by moving electric charges, such as the flow of electrons in a wire, or by intrinsic magnetic properties of materials like iron. The Earth itself has a magnetic field, generated by the movement of molten iron in its outer core, which protects the planet from solar and cosmic radiation and is responsible for phenomena such as the auroras. Magnetic fields are quantified by their strength and direction, and they are depicted visually through field lines that emerge from north magnetic poles and enter south magnetic poles. These fields play crucial roles in various technologies, from simple compasses for navigation to complex applications like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in medical diagnostics. Additionally, magnetic fields are fundamental in physics, influencing many processes from the atomic to the cosmic scale, including the behavior of plasmas in stars and the interstellar medium.
Scientists discover that interplanetary shocks that strike Earth’s magnetic field head-on cause more powerful ground-level electric currents, threatening pipelines and submarine cables. Auroras are caused…
New research suggests the solar dynamo, responsible for solar cycles and sunspots, starts in the sun’s outer layers. This challenges older theories of a deeper…
Physicists at TU Graz have determined that certain molecules can be stimulated by pulses of infrared light to generate small magnetic fields. If experimental trials…
A new study reveals the sun’s magnetic field originates closer to the surface, solving a 400-year-old mystery first probed by Galileo and enhancing solar storm…
Solar phenomena like sunspots and flares could be a product of a shallow magnetic field, according to surprising new findings that may help scientists predict…
Researchers at ETH Zurich have, for the first time, made visible how electrons form vortices in a material at room temperature. Their experiment used a…
Evidence suggests a weak magnetic field millions of years ago may have fueled the proliferation of life. The Ediacaran Period, spanning from about 635 to…
Research reveals that a weakened magnetic field between 591 and 565 million years ago might have triggered higher oxygen levels, aiding the development of complex…
A collaborative study by the University of Oxford and MIT has uncovered a 3.7-billion-year-old magnetic field record from Greenland, demonstrating that Earth’s ancient magnetic field…
Researchers from Cornell have utilized magnetic imaging to obtain the first direct visualization of how electrons flow in a special type of insulator, and by…
For the first time, a global team of scientists has uncovered the magnetic field transport processes in the accretion flow of a black hole, as well…
Diamond has long held the crown in the realm of quantum sensing, thanks to its coherent nitrogen-vacancy centers, adjustable spin, magnetic field sensitivity, and capability…
A “beautiful effect” predicted by quantum electrodynamics (QED) may provide an explanation for the perplexing initial sightings of polarized X-rays radiating from a magnetar –…
Tunneling spectroscopy uncovers the clearest proof yet that this exotic superconducting state of matter exists without a magnetic field in an iron-based superconductor. Researchers discovered…
Scientists have used advanced supercomputer simulations to demonstrate the existence and significance of a small-scale dynamo in the Sun’s magnetic field. This discovery refutes previous…
Researchers at ICRAR have uncovered tantalizing evidence of magnetic fields in the universe’s largest cosmic structures. The cosmic web, a network of interconnecting filaments and…
A team led by Boston College has devised a new quantum sensor method to image and comprehend the source of photocurrent flow in Weyl semimetals….
The sudden slowdown of a star in 2020 provides an opportunity to test the “anti-glitch” theory. On October 5th, 2020, a rapidly rotating remnant of…