Cole Roberg with Rolfe Petschek

Calculation of Magnetic Interactions Between Magnetic Nanoparticles

One problem yet to be completely solved in the world of physics and material science is the ferromagnetic fluid or fluid that has a magnetization outside of external magnetic fields. Fluids that respond to magnetic fields have been studied for nearly half a century, yet the only major discoveries have been related to paramagnetic fluids or fluids that respond to magnetic fields but outside of external fields exhibit negligible net magnetization. In the last decade, many advancements have been made in the way of creating ferromagnetic fluids. Research groups have created fluids that, outside of external fields, exhibit their net magnetization, but this was using liquid crystals to hold the individual magnetic particles in place. This did succeed in aligning the particles magnetic moments and create a ferromagnetic liquid, but the liquid was very sensitive and difficult to study. By modeling interactions between two particles of similar shape that would be suspended in a magnetic liquid, we propose we will be able to simulate the interactions in all of the liquid and possibly discover a way to better form a stable ferromagnetic liquid.