News

August 12, 2024

4 MIN READ

Neutrons reveal the existence of local symmetry breaking in a Weyl semimetal

At ORNL, a group of scientists used neutron scattering techniques to investigate a relatively new functional material called a Weyl semimetal. These Weyl fermions move very quickly in a material and can carry electrical charge at room temperature. Scientists think that Weyl semimetals, if used in future electronics, could allow electricity to flow more efficiently and enable more energy-efficient computers and other electronic devices.

December 27, 2023

7 MIN READ

ORNL’s 2023 top science achievements at SNS, HFIR

The 2023 top science achievements from HFIR and SNS feature a broad range of materials research published in high impact journals such as Nature and Advanced Materials.

May 12, 2023

1 MIN READ

Harnessing thermal decoherence to understand higher order quantum magnets

Scientific Achievement: A new route to understand a broad class of quantum magnets was developed through inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements of the S=1 quantum magnet Ba2FeSi2O7 in tandem with a generalization of Landau-Lifshitz dynamics.Significance and Impact: This work demonstrates an efficient approach to understand the broad class of quantum magnets comprising weakly coupled antiferromagnetic dimers, trimers, or tetramers, and magnets with strong single-ion anisotropy, enabling fast solvers for machine learning algorithms that will accelerate progress towards next-generation microelectronics.DOI: 10.1038/s41535-022-00526-7

September 23, 2021

1 MIN READ

Understanding quantum magnets with higher-order spin

Scientific Achievement: Inelastic neutron scattering measurements reveal interacting modes with unprecedented clarity in a quantum magnet.Significance and Impact: This work demonstrates how inelastic neutron scattering, in conjunction with new theoretical developments, can reveal important mode interactions, which is a prerequisite for understanding the physical properties of quantum magnets.DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-25591-7

January 8, 2021

1 MIN READ

Decoding signatures of quantum magnetism

June 3, 2019

1 MIN READ

Materials—Engineering heat transport

Scientists have discovered a way to alter heat transport in thermoelectric materials, a finding that may ultimately improve energy efficiency as the materials