Quantum Switch Turns Metals into Insulators

Most modern electronic devices rely on tiny, finely tuned electrical currents to process and store information. These currents dictate how fast computers run, how regularly pacemakers tick, and how securely money is stored in the bank. Researchers have demonstrated a new way to precisely control such electrical currents by leveraging the interaction between an electron's spin (the quantum magnetic field it inherently carries) and its orbital rotation around the nucleus.