SCIENCE - Magnetic materials: Forging ahead with a back-to-basics approach

Scientists have recently started to explore the possibility of using an intrinsic property of the electron known as spin for processing and storing information. Magnetic fields can influence the dynamics of electron spin, so harnessing this potential relies on precision engineering of crystalline storage materials.

http://phys.org/news/2013-08-magnetic-materials-forging-back-to-basics