Description

Graphene, a sheet of carbon atoms, is a powerful platform to realize quantum effects in an accessible way. Quantum physics allows graphene to become magnetic, with the resulting magnetic image resembling a face, perhaps of an angry Schrodinger's cat surveying the new era of nanotechnology.

The data displayed in this image was generated by the Young Lab at UCSB using the nanoSQUID on Tip technique to image the magnetism of rhombohedral trilayer graphene. This technique brings a nanoscale magnetometer less than a micron above the surface of a sample and measures magnetism with exquisite sensitivity. Each of the bright features of the image is a shift in the magnetism of the graphene from the tuning of sample conditions, exhibiting an incredibly rich magnetic structure when compared to conventional magnets which only have one flavor of magnetism. This demonstrates the increased possibilities offered by graphene and other forms of nanotechnology.