Elemental magnetism

Carbon is a unique element, it is the element of life. But missing from its repertoire of properties was magnetism. Until now. US and German researchers have used a proton beam and analytical X-ray techniques at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center (SLAC) to demonstrate carbon's magnetism.¹

Scientists have long suspected that carbon might exist in a magnetic form at room temperature. The technological applications of such a material in computing and lab-on-a-chip devices would be enormous. However, the only hint of magnetic carbon lay in flecks of material from meteorites contaminated with nickel. 'In the past, research groups thought they had discovered magnetic carbon', explains Hendrik Ohldag, a staff scientist at SLAC. 'Unfortunately, they realised later that they had been misled by small amounts of iron, cobalt or nickel in their samples'.