If electric charges provide electricity, what will magnetic charges give? Magnetricity! This is not one of those elephant-ant PJs for sure, but a quote from latest research.
Magnetic monopoles that exist in special crystals known as spin ice gather to form a "magnetic current" like electricity. The phenomenon, dubbed "magnetricity", could be used in magnetic storage or in computing.
Predicted over a century ago, it was only in September this year that two research groups independently reported the existence of monopoles - "particles" which carry an overall magnetic charge. But they exist only in the spin ice crystals. When cooled to very low temperatures, they show tiny packets of magnetic charge. More recently, one of the research teams have showed that these charges can move, much like electric charge does!
So, will this help an ‘energy-starved’ world? Perhaps not. These charges move only inside spin ice and can at most be used for magnetic storage in computing, say the scientists. But you never know, with advances in materials, perhaps some new invention can imitate spin ices??
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