Dr. Jordi Prat-Camps of the University of Sussex has demonstrated that the coupling between two magnetic elements can be made asymmetrical:
Working with colleagues from the Austrian Academy of Sciences and University of Innsbruck, Dr. Prat-Camps’ research rips up the physics rule book by showing it is possible to make one magnet connect to another without the connection happening in the opposite direction.
The findings run contrary to long-established beliefs of magnetic coupling, which emerge from the four Maxwell equations dating back to the seminal works of Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell in the 19th century.
Dr. Prat-Camps said: “We have created the first device that behaves like a diode for magnetic fields. Electric diodes are so crucial that none of the existing electronic technologies such as microchips, computers or mobile phones would be possible without them. If our result for magnetic fields would have one millionth of the same impact as the developments in electric diodes, it would be a hugely impactful success. The creation of such a diode opens up a lot of new possibilities for other scientists and technicians to explore. Thanks to our discovery we think it might be possible to improve and the performance of wireless power transfer technologies to improve the efficiency of recharging phones, laptops and even cars.”
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After several unsuccessful attempts to break magnetic reciprocity, the team decided to try using an electrical conductor in movement. By solving Maxwell’s equations analytically, the researchers very quickly demonstrated that not only could reciprocity be broken down but that, the coupling could be made maximally asymmetric, whereby the coupling from A to B would be different from zero but from B to A it would be exactly zero. Having shown that total unidirectional coupling was possible theoretically, the team designed and built a proof-of-concept experiment which confirmed their findings.
If he mysteriously disappears, we’ll have to assume a secret cabal has taken him out for revealing the hidden truth.
I wonder how fast it operates or if it would work with light??? A little far fetched but it’s my understanding that people trying to build solar panels that use antennas to capture sunlight just like a radio antenna could not get the diodes to operate fast enough to rectify the electric fields. Lear of Lear jet fame worked on this. I believe he called them “luminoid” panels. A bunch of people have worked on this but I don;t think they have the problem licked yet.
“The findings run contrary to long-established beliefs of magnetic coupling, which emerge from the four Maxwell equations dating back to the seminal works of Michael Faraday and James Clerk Maxwell in the 19th century.”
Could the author possibly have written a more asinine comment? The scientists themselves said they first derived the possibility from Maxwell’s (Heaviside) Equations. These equations are far more fundamental than Newton’s mechanics, and they are preserved and part of Special and General Relativity and quantum mechanics.
Another win for classical mechanics.
My son and I are reading the Hidden Truth books. Fun stuff. Dr. Prat-Camps (unfortunate name, there) had better be careful…
So diversity is our strength?