Experimental physicists have combined several measurements of quantum materials into one in their ongoing quest to learn more about manipulating and controlling the behavior of them for possible applications. They even coined a term for it-- Magneto-elastoresistance, or MER.
Scientists in condensed matter physics at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have a long history of investigating “weird” materials, according to Paul Canfield, Ames Lab physicist, Distinguished Professor and the Robert Allen Wright Professor of Physics and Astronomy at Iowa State University.
“Weird” in this case means metallic and semi-metallic compounds that have magnetic, superconducting, or other properties that might be useful in tech applications such as quantum computing. To force those compounds to reveal their secrets, however, experimentalists must poke, prod, and measure the materials to see how and how much they react.
News Link: What’s MER? It’s a way to measure quantum materials, and it’s telling us new and interesting things