Neutrons piece together 40-year puzzle behind iron-iodide's mysterious magnetism

Researchers from Georgia Tech and the University of Tennessee–Knoxville uncovered hidden and unexpected quantum behavior in a rather simple iron-iodide material (FeI2) that was discovered almost a century ago. The new research insights into the material's behavior were enabled using a combination of neutron scattering experiments and theoretical physics calculations at the Department of Energy's (DOE's) Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The team's findings—published in the journal Nature Physics—solves a 40-year-old puzzle about the material's mysterious behavior and could be used as a map to unlock a treasure trove of quantum phenomena in other materials. The paper's lead author is Xiaojian Bai, an ORNL postdoctoral fellow who received his Ph.D. from the School of Physics. The Georgia Tech-based co-authors are Associate Professor Martin Mourigal and Postdoctoral Fellow Zhilang Dun.