New Material Discovery: Indian Scientists Find Novel Properties in an 'Altermagnet'
UPSC Prelims Subject
Science and Technology (Material Science, Physics, Emerging Technologies like Spintronics).
Key Highlights from the News
Indian scientists based in Kolkata have made a significant new discovery.
They found that a cheap and stable compound called Chromium-antimony (CrSb) exhibits direction-dependent conduction polarity (DDCP).
This means that the material conducts electricity using electrons (n-type) in one direction and positive 'holes' (p-type) in another direction.
Scientists confirmed this by measuring the Hall effect and Seebeck effect phenomena.
CrSb is the first altermagnet to exhibit this property. Altermagnetism is a new type of magnetism discovered recently.
This discovery could have significant applications in future technologies such as electronics, thermoelectrics, and spintronics.
Researchers from the S.N. Bose National Centre for Basic Sciences and the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science are behind this discovery.
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