Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have overturned a 180-year-old scientific assumption, proving that the magnetic component of light plays a critical role in how light interacts with matter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The study establishes that this magnetic influence is quantifiable and significant, accounting for approximately 17% of the observed rotation in visible light and rising to 70% in the infrared spectrum\u2014factors previously considered negligible in optical physics.<\/p>\n
Challenging the century-old physics rule<\/p>\n
The findings, published in Nature\u2019s Scientific Reports, challenge the traditional understanding of the Faraday Effect, a foundational principle in electromagnetism discovered by Michael Faraday in 1845.\u00a0<\/p>\n
For nearly two centuries<\/a>, the scientific community attributed the rotation of light\u2019s polarization within a magnetic field exclusively to the interaction between the light\u2019s electric field and the electric charges within the material.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, the new research demonstrates that the magnetic field of light, long thought irrelevant, makes a direct and measurable contribution to this effect whereby it interacts with the spins,\u201d said the researchers in a press release.<\/p>\n Utilizing advanced calculations, methodology<\/p>\n Led by Dr. Amir Capua and Benjamin Assouline from the Institute of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics, the research team utilized advanced calculations to reach this conclusion.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cTo quantify this influence, the team applied their model to Terbium Gallium Garnet (TGG), a crystal widely used to measure the Faraday Effect,\u201d remarked the press release.<\/p>\n By applying this equation, they provided the first theoretical proof that the oscillating magnetic field of light interacts directly with spins in the material, functioning in a manner similar to a static magnetic field<\/a>.<\/p>\n To validate the specific percentages cited in their findings, the team applied their model to Terbium Gallium Garnet (TGG), a crystal widely used in optical experiments to measure the Faraday Effect.\u00a0<\/p>\n The model confirmed that the magnetic component acts as a primary driver in the interaction, particularly at longer wavelengths.<\/p>\n Light\u2019s active magnetic role<\/p>\n \u201cIn simple terms, it\u2019s an interaction between light and magnetism,\u201d explained Dr. Capua.<\/p>\n \u201cThe static magnetic field \u2018twists\u2019 the light, and the light, in turn, reveals the magnetic properties of the material. What we\u2019ve found is that the magnetic part of light has a first-order effect, it\u2019s surprisingly active in this process.\u201d<\/p>\n Benjamin Assouline noted that the results show light \u201ctalks\u201d to matter through its magnetic field\u2014a channel of interaction that had been largely overlooked until now.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn other words,\u201d Capua added, \u201clight doesn\u2019t just illuminate matter, it magnetically influences it.\u201d<\/p>\n Implications for future technology<\/p>\n This revised understanding suggests new pathways for research in optics and magnetism.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe discovery opens the door to new possibilities in optics and magnetism, including applications in spintronics, optical data storage, and light-based magnetic control. It may even contribute to future spin-based quantum computing technologies,\u201d concluded<\/a> the researchers.<\/p>\n Additionally, the findings may be relevant to the development of future spin-based quantum computing technologies, which require precise manipulation of magnetic states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have overturned a 180-year-old scientific assumption, proving that the magnetic component…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":272286,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[8872,11908,4960,8499,2302,90,56,54,55],"class_list":{"0":"post-272285","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-physics","8":"tag-energy-amp-environment","9":"tag-inventions-and-machines","10":"tag-light","11":"tag-magnetic-field","12":"tag-physics","13":"tag-science","14":"tag-uk","15":"tag-united-kingdom","16":"tag-unitedkingdom"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=272285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/272285\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/272286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=272285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=272285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=272285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}