By Laura Mgrdichian The layered structure of the bilayer
manganite. Scientists working at the National Synchrotron Light
Source have discovered an unusually fragile, unstable magnetic
state in a member of a class of materials known for its robust
magnetic behaviors. Their discovery could lead to applications
in the emerging field of spintronics – electronics based not on
electric charge but on electron spin, a property that is very
closely linked to magnetism. The research was published on July
15, 2011, in the online edition of Physical Review Letters. It
was performed by researchers from NSLS, the Stanford Synchrotron
Radiation Lightsource at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory,
Pohang University of Science and Technology (Korea), Rutgers
University, and the University of Illinois. The material under
study is a compound of the elements manganese (Mn), lanthanum
(La), and strontium (Sr), and belongs to a family of materials
called bilayer manganites. These materials may be best known for
exhibiting “colossa