by CL
Spinning Electrons for Energy Efficiency
June 22, 2010 in Feature, IT by CL
This Research in Action article was provided to LiveScience in partnership with the National Science Foundation.
A glowing Bayard-Alpert Ionization Gauge monitors a vacuum in physicist Tim Gay’s laboratory at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Gay studies polarized electrons, which are basically electrons spinning in the same direction. This gauge is part of a monitoring system that tells scientists if they are removing enough air to conduct experiments on how polarized electrons interact with target molecules.
Polarized, or magnetized, electrons have potential in many applications, such as improving computers and electronics or creating more energy-efficient light bulbs, and in answering fundamental questions.
With National Science Foundation funding through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), Gay uses these atomic particles in basic and applied research. For example, in the experiment above he uses polarized electrons to answer intriguing questions about the origins of life, such as why all DNA molecules spiral clockwise. The answer may have to do with cosmic rays — a natural source of spin-polarized electrons. In the process, he’s learning a lot about how polarized electrons behave.
Electrons naturally spin in random directions, cancelling out each other’s magnetic energy. That’s why most things are not magnetic. But when all electrons spin in the same direction, they become magnetized. Known as spintronics, this approach opens many new applications. While scientists are learning to harness electron spin, creating polarized electrons remains complex and time-consuming.
Gay aims to change that. His team is developing a simple, easy-to-use method for producing spin-polarized electrons. A turnkey source of polarized electrons could provide new analytical tools for industry and research.
Whether he’s exploring fundamental questions or developing new technologies, Gay involves his students. He has trained at least 85 undergraduates in his lab. “I really view the mission of these experiments as half physics and half training tomorrow’s high-tech workforce,” he said.
