Physicists Finally Made The One-Poled Magnet They've Been Missing For 80 Years

Eighty years after they were first theorized, scientists have just created an artificial magnetic monopole.

Monopoles were first conceived in their modern form more than 80 years ago by Paul Dirac, one of the founders of quantum mechanics.

This discovery has some powerful implications for physics.

finance.yahoo.com...


Interesting. Your thoughts?
Firepiston

reply to post by FirePiston


Hey dude this is pretty rad, let me finish reading this and get back to you but this old science thought to this new science application is always fascinating. Thanks for sharing I may have not come across this otherwise.

Not exactly a magnetic monopole Note the terminology. "Synthetic magnetic field."
What is a synthetic magnetic field? Here's an article that gets a bit more technical about it.

"A synthetic magnetic field is an artificial field that leads to particle dynamics equivalent to those of an electric charge in a corresponding natural magnetic field."

www.sciencedaily.com...

It's something that affects particles as if it were a true magnetic field but the similarity ends there.

This is not the first time synthetic magnetic fields have been used to create monopoles but it is the first time it has been done within a Bose-Einstein condensate. Here is another example:
www.sciencedaily.com...

It's an analog of a true magnetic monopole. A model, not the real thing. But perhaps useful in looking for the real thing.

reply to post by Phage


I wonder how different it really was from a true magnetic monopole though. This part of the article suggests that they have created something very close to the real thing:

The top row shows the scientists' experimental results. The bottom row shows their mathematical predictions. The close similarity between the two suggests that a monopole was formed. The vortex can be seen as the dark spot in the center of the condensate.

FirePiston
Eighty years after they were first theorized, scientists have just created an artificial magnetic monopole.

Just? What does that mean?

Here's an article about magnetic monopoles from 2007:

M agnetic monopoles in a charged two-condensate Bose-Einstein system

Descripción: We propose that a charged two-condensate Bose system possesses point-like topological defects which can be interpreted as magnetic monopoles.

Perhaps there are some slight differences in the latest experiment but magnetic monopole quasiparticles in Bose-Einstein condensates are not new.

As it says it's artificial, and they still haven't found any real monopoles yet.

reply to post by ChaoticOrder

This part of the article suggests that they have created something very close to the real thing:

It suggests that the scientists got what they were trying to get; a synthetic magnetic monopole. It is indeed a monopole but it is not a magnetic monopole because it does not have a magnetic field. There's a difference and I'm pretty sure there would a lot more hubbub about it if it were a true magnetic monopole.

Researchers have created and photographed synthetic magnetic monopoles under lab conditions. The development lays the foundation for the underlying structure of the natural magnetic monopole – the detection of which would be a revolutionary event comparable to the discovery of the electron.

www.sciencedaily.com...

Don't get me wrong. It's a big deal and very cool but it isn't the magnetic grail.

"The creation of a synthetic magnetic monopole should provide us with unprecedented insight into aspects of the natural monopole," says Prof. David S. Hall from Amherst College, USA. "It's not every day that you get to poke and prod the analogue of an elusive fundamental particle under highly controlled conditions in the laboratory," he continues.

reply to post by Phage


Just what use would a magnetic monopole be? Are there any real world applications?

reply to post by PhoenixOD

Not sure about real world applications.
I think it's more a matter of confirming/falsifying differing interpretations of quantum mechanics. Sort of like the Higgs kerfuffle.

reply to post by ChaoticOrder


Can you or someone or anyone explain how theoretically or hypothetically a monopole can exist? We can work in imagining ideal scenarios, as an abstract ideal platonic number system we can imagine the number 1 to be a perfect sphere, and the number 2 to be the exact area of a number 1 sphere and another number 1 sphere. Try to use things like, points, lines, sphere, object, matter, charge, spin or lack there of, field/s, dimensionality, to describe how theoretically and hypothetically a monopole can exist.

reply to post by ImaFungi

At its basic level the concept is that, as with electrical charges, there is a magnetic "charge" and that a particle can carry that "charge" similar to the way an electron or proton can.

As to how...sorry, the math goes way beyond me. But the matter is far from settled as to whether magnetic monopoles actually can exist.

reply to post by Phage


In the article linked it says that the scientists cooled the atoms to a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero, I was not aware that we were capable of 0 deg kelvin how exactly does that work. They go on to say that at that temp things start acting unlike solids liquids or gasses, I don't think I quite understand that either.

I was watching a programme in the UK called QI with Stephen Fry. And he had some form of crystal or magnet that would only spin in one direction. I've forgot what it was called now.

Edit
Found it. Its called a rattleback.
en.wikipedia.org...

reply to post by Brotherman

I was not aware that we were capable of 0 deg kelvin how exactly does that work.

It's a quantum thing. It works because temperatures are an average. In a Bose-Einstein condensate, some atoms reach those very low temperatures but the average temperture is something higher. It's those really cold atoms that are of interest.

They go on to say that at that temp things start acting unlike solids liquids or gasses, I don't think I quite understand that either.

Right. It's because at those low temperatures things get weird due to what is know as macroscopic quantum phenomena. For example:

reply to post by Phage


Looks like a job for Heisenburg and the questions in regards to what makes a solid a solid. That was a very interesting vid I see what they were saying sort of, I would have thought that a solid liquid or gas would just act like a really cold solid liquid or gas but apparently this is certainly not the case. In regards to magnets I understood that with bullet train levitation they used super cold "rails" is this because they are actually lowering the fluid friction by doing so? I couldn't imagine a real use for a monopole but now I've just seen what all the rage is about with super cold stuff I understand the implications of the technology built around cold stuff. I am a welder I know all about hot things but this is just neat

reply to post by Brotherman

In regards to magnets I understood that with bullet train levitation they used super cold "rails" is this because they are actually lowering the fluid friction by doing so?

The cooling is to induce superconductivity not to reduce friction. It allows magnetic levitation.

reply to post by Phage


Dude thats fu****g one of the coolest things I've ever watched on youtube.

reply to post by Brotherman

Here's the real thing.
www.usjmaglev.com...

Phage
reply to post by ImaFungi

 

At its basic level the concept is that, as with electrical charges, there is a magnetic "charge" and that a particle can carry that "charge" similar to the way an electron or proton can.

As to how...sorry, the math goes way beyond me. But the matter is far from settled as to whether magnetic monopoles actually can exist.

edit on 2/1/2014 by Phage because: (no reason given)

But the basis of magnetism depends solely on the charge, does it not? Charge, electricity and magnetism are all intimately linked and revolve around the same fundamentality. An electrical charge is a magnetic charge, an electron is a magnet, and charged particles are the only reason the idea of magnet exists. EM radiation is thought to be, electromagnetic field which occur from the coupling of electromagnetic field to a charged particle. Admittedly to my lack of knowledge, it makes little sense what a magnetic charge would mean. I personally think there may not even be a difference between electricity and magnetism as in two entwined intermingled field lines, it appears it may be different perspective and relative relations of the same phenomenon. If the EM field is really field lines of potential electricity, and field lines of potential magnetism, and electric charge couples to the electircity lines, and magnetism lines, and that is how electric charged particle is responsible for electricity and magnetism, and elector magnetism, then it is proposed a monopole, or magnetic charge particle would be the exact same thing as an electron? A charged particle that is responsible for magnetism, electricity, and EM radiation?

reply to post by ImaFungi

An electrical charge is a magnetic charge, an electron is a magnet, and charged particles are the only reason the idea of magnet exists.

A moving electrical charge creates a magnetic field. A magnetic field has no charge.

Phage
reply to post by Brotherman

 

Here's the real thing.
www.usjmaglev.com...

If a level of superconductivity needs to be maintained how is this an energy efficient mode? Given even in the train model set the material allowing the train to function eventually melted away in minutes?