Researchers have for the first time discovered magnetic monopoles – hypothetical particles proposed by physicists that carry a single magnetic pole. While normally magnetic poles are observed as dipoles, north and south combined, there have been theories that predict the existence of monopoles. For example, the work of Paul Dirac suggested that magnetic monopoles can exist at the end of tubes as strings, called “Dirac strings.”
Researchers from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fur Materialien und Energie, along with colleagues from Dresden, St. Andrews, La Plata and Oxford, have submitted the results of their research to be published in the journal Science. Their research involved a neutron scattering experiment at the Berlin research reactor. During the measurements a magnetic field was applied to a single crystal of Dyprosium Titanite. Influencing the symmetry and orientation of the strings allowed them to promote the monopole dissociation, as it reduced the density of the strings. The strings were visible and had magnetic monopoles at their ends at temperatures from .6 to 2K.
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