Magnetic molecules explain a puzzling material

Physicists at India's Institute of Technology Madras have cracked a puzzle about an unusual magnetic material called sodium manganese oxide, according to Physics World. The compound has strong magnetic interactions, but it refuses to develop ordered magnetism at low temperatures—something physics normally predicts it should do. The researchers' computational analysis shows the crystal structure is why: it organizes the magnetic ions into hexagonal clusters that act like molecular magnets, but these clusters can't coordinate with each other to form the large-scale magnetic order conventional theory expects. The finding suggests crystal structure can be engineered as a tool to create new types of magnetic materials.

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