Make Room for Number Three! Scientists Discover a New Kind of Magnetism
Quick Summary
For more than 100 years, scientists thought there were only two basic types of magnetism. Now, three physicists have proven there is a secret third type — called altermagnetism — hiding in plain sight all along. Their discovery just earned them one of Europe’s biggest physics prizes!
What Happened?
Magnetism is the invisible force that makes refrigerator magnets stick and compass needles point north. You have probably played with magnets in class. For over a century, scientists divided all magnetic materials into two groups.
The first group is called ferromagnets. These are the classic magnets you know — the kinds that stick to metal. Your refrigerator magnet is a ferromagnet.
The second group is called antiferromagnets. These materials are magnetic on the inside, but their tiny magnetic forces point in opposite directions and cancel each other out. So you cannot feel their magnetism with your hands — they do not stick to your fridge.
For decades, scientists thought those were the only two options. Then three physicists — Professor Jairo Sinova from Germany, Dr. Libor Šmejkal, and Professor Tomas Jungwirth from the Czech Republic — began to notice something strange hiding in certain materials.
They discovered that some materials do not fit neatly into either group. These materials have a totally new kind of magnetic behavior. Scientists named it altermagnetism.
Altermagnets work in a surprisingly different way. Like antiferromagnets, they have tiny forces pointing in opposite directions inside. But — and here is the twist — their electrons also behave in ways more like ferromagnets. It is as if they combine the best features of both types.
The team’s work has been confirmed in many experiments, and hundreds of other scientists around the world have now published papers studying altermagnets.
For this discovery, the three scientists won the 2026 Europhysics Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in European physics. It was the first time the prize had ever gone to Czech scientists.
Why Does It Matter?
Altermagnets are more than just a cool science discovery. They could help engineers build much faster and more efficient computer chips in the future. Scientists believe altermagnets could run at terahertz speeds — imagine a computer that thinks a trillion times per second, far faster than anything we have today.
Discoveries like this remind us that even things we thought we understood completely — like magnetism — can still hold surprises!
Big Words
- Magnetism — an invisible force produced by some materials that attracts or repels other magnetic objects
- Ferromagnetism — the type of magnetism in classic magnets, where the magnetic forces all point in the same direction and you can feel the pull
- Antiferromagnetism — a type of magnetism where tiny forces cancel each other out inside the material, so you cannot feel it from the outside
- Altermagnetism — the newly discovered third type of magnetism that combines features of both other types in a totally new way
- Electron — a tiny particle inside every atom that carries a negative electric charge and plays a key role in magnetism and electricity
Fun Fact
The Europhysics Prize has a history of going to scientists who later win the Nobel Prize! Several past winners of this prize eventually went on to receive the most famous science award in the world.
Think About It
Scientists studied magnetism for over 100 years before finding a third type. What other everyday things do you think might have a hidden secret that science hasn’t discovered yet?
Sources
- EurekaAlert / Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz — 2026 Europhysics Prize honors discovery of altermagnetism as a third fundamental class of magnetism
- ScienceDaily — Scientists who discovered a third form of magnetism win major physics prize
- European Physical Society — 2026 EPS Europhysics Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Condensed Matter Physics announced
- Radio Prague International — Czech scientists receive 2026 Europhysics Prize for discovery of altermagnetism
- Mirage News — Discoverers of Third Form of Magnetism Win Major Physics Prize