Scientists are often discovering the correlation between one scientific piece of data, or metric, and another. Recently they added a new one to the list. It seems when a magnetic field is strong enough to enable a particular mechanical activity, such as a revolving vortex state, or the creation of photoluminescence, that strength is in direct correlation with to the temperature of the object that is spinning or becoming luminescent. With this knowledge in hand, scientists can measure a magnetic field and ascertain the temperature of an object within a cubic micron. Moreover, this research has other uses. For example, Luminescence, when it occurs in spinning objects located in a magnetic field, can vary considerably, depending upon the activity of electrons in that field. One specific time that the electrons can cause an abrupt change in luminescence is when they undergo a process called cross-relaxation. in the case of a field where cross-relaxation is a variable, the strength of the field is tied directly to the temperature of the object. By varying the field and noting abrupt changes in luminescence scientists are empowered to accurately calculate the temperature beneath the object, usually a crystal, being illuminated.
Key Takeaways:
- Magnetic fields need to be of a specific strength before they can be used to initiate specific mechanical processes, such as photoluminescence.
- Scientists now realize that this strength correlates with the temperature of the sample going through the mechanical process.
- Photoluminescence can be brighter, or less so; the important variable is the proportion of electrons in the field that are in various states of spin.
“Based on this finding, scientists can determine a sample’s temperature to a resolution of one cubic micron by measuring the field strength at which this effect occurs.”
Read more: https://phys.org/news/2018-08-link-magnetic-field-strength-temperature.html
