Magnetics Business & Technology - Summer 2015 - (Page 4)

EDITOR'S CHOICE New Magnetic Ce Alloy Could Replace Costly Element Scientists at DOE's Ames Laboratory have created a new magnetic alloy that may be a lower-cost potential replacement for high-performance permanent magnets found in wind turbines and car engines. The alloy eliminates the use of one of the scarcest and costliest rare earth elements, dysprosium, and instead uses cerium, the most abundant rare earth. The result, an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron co-doped with cerium and cobalt, is a less expensive material with properties that are competitive with traditional sintered magnets containing dysprosium. "This is quite exciting result; we found that this material works better than anything out there at temperatures above 150°C," said Ames Laboratory scientist Karl A. Gschneidner. "It's an important consideration for high-temperature applications." Volume 14, Issue 2 Editor & Publisher David Webster Director of Content Nick Depperschmidt Senior Editor Shannon Given Associate Editor Heather Williams Ames Laboratory scientists have used cerium to create a high-performance magnet that's similar in performance to traditional dysprosium-containing magnets and could make wind turbines less expensive to manufacture. NASA Spacecraft in Earth's Orbit, Preparing to Study Magnetic Reconnection Following a successful launch, NASA's four Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft are positioned in Earth's orbit to begin the first space mission dedicated to the study of a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. This process is thought to be the catalyst for some of the most powerful explosions in our solar system. The spacecraft, positioned one on top of the other on a United Launch Alliance Atlas V 421 rocket, launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida. After reaching orbit, each spacecraft deployed from the rocket's upper stage sequentially, in five-minute increments, beginning at 12:16 a.m. Friday, with the last separation occurring at 12:31 a.m. NASA scientists and engineers were able to confirm the health of all separated spacecraft at 12:40 a.m. The mission will provide the first three-dimensional views of reconnection occurring in Earth's protective magnetic space environment, the magnetosphere. Magnetic reconnection occurs when magnetic fields connect, disconnect, and reconfigure explosively, releasing bursts of energy that can reach the order of billions of megatons of trinitrotoluene (commonly known as TNT). These explosions can send particles surging through space near the speed of light. Scientists expect the mission will not only help them better understand magnetic reconnection, but also will provide insight into these powerful events, which can disrupt modern technological systems such as communications networks, GPS navigation and electrical power grids. By studying reconnection in this local, natural laboratory, scientists can understand the process elsewhere, such as in the atmosphere of the sun and other stars, in the vicinity of black holes and neutron stars, and at the boundary between our solar system's heliosphere and interstellar space. The spacecraft will fly in a tight formation through regions of reconnection activity. Using sensors designed to measure the space environment at rates 100 times faster than any previous mission. "MMS is a crucial next step in advancing the science of magnetic reconnection - and no mission has ever observed this fundamental process with such detail," said Jeff Newmark, interim director for NASA's Heliophysics Division at the agency's Headquarters in Washington. "The depth and detail of our knowledge is going to grow by leaps and bounds, in ways that no one can yet predict." MMS is the fourth mission in the NASA Solar Terrestrial Probes Program. Goddard built, integrated and tested the four MMS spacecraft and is responsible for overall mission management 4 Magnetics Business & Technology * Summer 2015 Contributing Editor Stan Trout News Editors Sue Hannebrink, Scott Webster, Dave Nosak William Massey, Melissa Cooley Director of Support Services/Circulation Marc Vang Databases/Directories Ross Webster Advertising and Sales Scott Webster, Advertising Sales Manager Marketing Carmen Abraham Production Julie Hammond Webmaster CJ Brewer Administration Marsha Grillo, Director Magnetics Business & Technology (ISSN #1535-1998) is a publication of Webcom Communications Corp. Subscriptions for one year are free for the qualified US, $44.00 non-qualified US and $60.00 outside US. Single copies are $20.00 each plus shipping. Back issues are available for $20.00. Payment must be made in US funds in order to process the order. Direct all subscription inquiries, orders and address changes to Fulfillment Services. 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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Magnetics Business & Technology - Summer 2015

Editor's Choice
Bonded Magnets: A Versitile Class of Permanent Magnets
Spintronics on Paper: The Whys and Wherefores
Magnets, Materials & Assemblies
Electromagnetics
Software & Design
Research & Development
Industry News
Marketplace / Advertising Index
Spontaneous Thoughts: The Rate Determining Step

Magnetics Business & Technology - Summer 2015