Re: I didn't understand most of this article
Spin is a quantum property of electrons (and, of course, almost by definition nobody understands that). The spins of electrons trapped in a material affect its magnetic properties. If they are all aligned they turn it into a magnet. Align them a different way and the magnetic field changes.
As any mechanical engineer will tell you, to change the spin of anything you have to apply a spin force called torque. By applying torque directly to the electrons in a magnetic memory cell you can change their spin and hence its magnetic field. All you then need to do is sense the magnetic field to read its state, and you have a viable memory cell.
The neat thing about this trick is that it uses less energy and less space than other more blunt-force methods of changing the magnetic field.
There's a lot more underlying tech to make it actually work, but I hope this helps
Biting the hand that feeds IT
