fractal behavior
:: in
plastic magnets
When it comes to miniature electronics, scientists have seen the shape of things to come --
and that shape is a fractal. People most often see fractals in the familiar, irregular branching
shapes of nature -- a leaf, or tree, or snowflake. A repeating pattern of ever-smaller branches
gives these structures a unique profile that defies classical geometry.
Now a study suggests that magnetic fields can take the form of fractals, too -- if a magnet
is made of plastic molecules that are stacked in parallel chains. While the results could influence
the design of electronic devices in the distant future, the work is so new that scientists are
only beginning to consider its implications. Using a computer model, the scientists tried to
look ahead to a time when electronic structures can be built so small that they no longer behave
like normal three-dimensional objects.
“The materials currently used in magnetic devices -- for example, computer hard discs
or ID strips on credit cards -- behave like three-dimensional magnets,” explained Arthur
Epstein, from the Center for Materials Research at Ohio State University. “However, the
decreasing size of these devices may one day require them to be considered one- or two-dimensional
in nature. As the spatial dimensions decrease, the magnetic dimensions of the materials may take
on fractal values.” Mathematically, fractals are considered to exist in partial, or fractional,
dimensions. That means if a device produced a magnetic field that exhibits fractal behavior,
the magnetic field wouldn’t possess dimension equal to a whole number -- such as one, two,
or three dimensions -- but rather a fractional value such as 0.8 or 1.6 dimensions. Such a seemingly
bizarre existence in fractional dimensions sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but that’s
what Epstein and his colleagues found when they modeled the behavior of a plastic magnet. >from
*Fractals Add New Dimension
To Study Of Tiny Electronics*, december 2, 2002.
related context
> plastic spintronics: from
silicon to plastic based computers. october 1, 2002
> fractals to predict
natural hazards: understanding the patterns of chaos. february 6, 2002
> Dr.
Benoit Mandelbrot IBM Fellow. Father of fractals |
