MadSci Network: Physics |
Hello Sam, I must confess that I haven't seen any anecdotes along the lines of what you describe -- one question that comes to mind is, did these experiments involve just the application of strong electric fields (high voltage), or were there large currents flowing between the electrodes? In the case of large currents, then I can quite easily believe that dramatic effects could be produced in a permanent magnet by creating a large current-driven magnetic field nearby. The exact effects, of course, would depend strongly upon the detailed properties of the magnetic material, the field strengths for the permanent magnet and the external current, and (perhaps) even the history of the magnetic material. Such work is, unfortunately, completely outside the scope of the work I do, and so the best I could do for you would be to refer you to another researcher or group. Perhaps you could contact the Francis Bitter Magnetics Laboratory at MIT (at http://web.mit.edu/fbml/cmr/ At best, they could describe examples of materials with these properties, and the studies that clearly show off those properties; at worst, they should be able to point you to someone who can give you the information you seek. If the materials you describe had their magnetic properties changed simply by the presence of a large electric field, then this is most definitely outside my field of work and study. If I didn't know any better, I would have said that what you describe is impossible -- that is, why would the presence of an electric field change the magnetic properties? But, in the wonderful and wacky world of nonlinear interactions between fields and materials, nearly anything becomes plausible, though everything depends on the detailed properties of the materials used in the study. Once again, I think the best resource might be the folks at the Bitter Laboratory at MIT (the URL is up above), who might either be studying the materials you've read about, or would likely know the people who are. Good luck! Aaron J. Redd
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