Professors Stephen von Molnar and Peng Xiong of the Department of Physics have been awarded a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for basic research in a field known as spintronics. As most people know, the electron carries an electrical charge; but what many people do not realize is that the electron has a second property called spin, which has to do with magnetism. Spintronics, or spin transport electronics, may eventually have applications in computer data processing. “It takes much less energy to flip an electron spin than taking an electron out of a transistor as in conventional electronics, meaning less energy is required to perform logic operations in spintronics,” Xiong said. “So high-tech electrical devices such as computers and cell phones could be built that require far less electricity to operate than is currently needed. In addition, it would eliminate volatility in computer memory, meaning no information would be lost in a power outage and a computer could be turned on and off instantly.” Using high-quality semiconductors produced by a research team in China, Von Molnar and Xiong will perform complex measurements to determine how long the electrons retain their spin orientation. This knowledge will help scientists better understand the basic properties of electron spin in solids. To read more, go to http://www.fsu.edu/news/2009/10/22/electron.research/