Scientists have discovered that CrSBr’s strange magnetic properties allow it to effectively trap and control excitons. An “exciton forms when an electron is moved out of its ‘ground’ energy state in the semiconductor into a higher energy state, leaving behind a ‘hole’. The electron and hole are paired together, and that collective state is an exciton,” the study authors note.
The research suggests that the magnetic order of chromium sulfide bromide can be turned on or off—like a switch—by changing the temperature. This change in magnetism influences how the excitons inside the material behave.
“The magnetic order is a new tuning knob for shaping excitons and their interactions. This could be a game changer for future electronics and information technology,” Rupert Huber, one of the authors of the study and a physics professor at the University of Regensburg in Germany, said.