Physical Society Colloquium

Years ago the phrase "one dimensional magnetism" referred to toy problems played with by mathematically inclined theorists. As many physicists know, however, Mother Nature has a devious sense of humour, and one dimensional magnetic chain structures are found in real materials. These magnetic chains can be probed directly using neutron scattering. Ironically, some important aspects of magnetic chains are harder to understand than the corresponding features of three-dimensional magnets. I will discuss why this is the case, and touch on a few topical buzzwords as we work around this problem.