Uranium Oxytelluride Hides Chiral Superlattice With Dual Magnetism

Researchers found a previously unknown chiral superlattice in uranium oxytelluride (UOTe), a compound known since the 1960s but largely ignored. The material combines ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, a trait that could aid faster, more robust magnetic memory. The findings appeared in Nature.

• Structure revealed via transmission and scanning tunneling microscopy
• UOTe has been known since the 1960s but rarely studied
• Computations suggest hundreds of related compounds may host similar superlattices
• No practical memory devices based on the discovery yet