Meteorites are fragments of asteroids (and, potentially, comets) that reach the Earth’s surface intact. They’re leftovers from the solar system’s formation, providing clues to its history in the molecules they contain. Thanks to our latest research, published today in Meteoritics and Planetary Science, we can now read those clues a little better.   Most primitive meteorites […]

In the last decades, a mathematical description of symmetries in nature called topology has been applied to describe and predict new electronic and magnetic properties of materials. A very simple aspect of topology connects a symmetry in the atomic structure of a crystal with a class of materials. Many materials that we know or use […]

Unraveling the magnetism of a graphene triangular flake Graphene is a diamagnetic material, this is, unable of becoming magnetic. However, a triangular piece of graphene is predicted to be magnetic. This apparent contradiction is a consequence of “magic” shapes in the structure of graphene flakes, which force electrons to “spin” easier in one direction. Triangulene […]