New form of molecular bond possible in white dwarf stars
JUL 20, 2012
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.026186
Nature : A computer simulation that put hydrogen molecules in a 10 5-tesla magnetic field has yielded a surprising result. In their lowest energy state, the molecules aligned parallel to the magnetic field lines. But when the electron energy levels were raised to the molecular bond’s breaking point, instead of breaking, the molecules reoriented so that they were perpendicular to the magnetic field, thereby exhibiting a new kind of bonding. Trygve Helgaker, a quantum chemist involved in the simulations, says that depending on their geometry, other molecules will also be able to reorient themselves, allowing the electrons to rotate around the field lines. Such huge magnetic fields, with strengths 10 000 times what can be generated on Earth, are only known to exist in white dwarfs and neutron stars.
© 2012 American Institute of Physics
