New Type of Chemical Bond Predicted To Exist In White Dwarfs

Posted by Soulskill on Friday July 20, 2012 @02:55AM from the played-by-sean-connery dept.

ananyo writes "A previously unknown type of powerful chemical bond should be induced by the ferocious magnetic fields of white dwarfs and neutron stars, according to computer simulations. If the effect can be harnessed in the lab, 'magnetized matter' could be exploited for quantum computing. Chemists identify two classes of strong molecular bonds: ionic bonds, in which electrons from one atom hop over to another, and covalent bonds, in which electrons are shared between atoms. But researchers at the University of Oslo accidentally discovered a third bonding mechanism when they simulated how atoms should behave under magnetic fields of about 105 tesla — 10,000 times the biggest fields that can be generated on Earth (abstract)."

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105 Tesla by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-20 02:58 · Score: 5, Informative

Should be 10 to the 5 Tesla, or 10^5, or 10**5 if you're a Fortran guy...
1. Re:105 Tesla by Annirak · 2012-07-20 04:41 · Score: 5, Informative
  
  You're correct, but even so, the statement
  
  10,000 times the biggest fields that can be generated on Earth
  is complete bullshit. Superconducting MRIs produce 3T fields just fine. And check out the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory; they have the record field strength of 100.75T
Re:105 Tesla isn't that strong a field... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-20 03:01 · Score: 5, Informative

TFS is wrong. It's not 105 T, it's 10^5 T.
God hates white dwarfs! by Antipater · 2012-07-20 03:23 · Score: 5, Funny

They're destroying the sanctity of traditional chemical bonding!
"Though shalt not lie with an atom magnetically as one would lie with an atom electrostatically. It is an abomination."
- Pauliticus 18:22

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