US scientists unlock hidden magnetism in ultrathin material for faster memory tech

U.S. researchers at Rice University discovered that ultrathin ruthenium dioxide becomes magnetic when stretched at the atomic level, a property not seen in its normal bulk form. By applying lattice strain to a film just a few atomic layers thick, scientists unlocked a rare type of magnetism called altermagnetism, which could enable faster, denser RAM and more efficient next-generation memory devices.