Thermal Hall effect

Alright kiddo, let's talk about something called the thermal hall effect.

When things get hot, their molecules start moving around more and bouncing off each other. This movement can create what we call heat or thermal energy.

Now, imagine we have a material like a metal or a crystal that conducts heat really well. If we apply a temperature difference between two points on this material, heat will flow from the hotter point to the cooler one, just like water flows from a higher to a lower place.

But sometimes, this heat flow can get a little wonky. If we add a magnetic field to the mix, something interesting happens. The heat flow can get skewed, meaning it doesn't go straight from the hot point to the cool one. Instead, it curves around, like a river that's been diverted off course.

This is the thermal hall effect. It happens because the magnetic field causes the electrons in the material to start swirling around in a certain direction, which affects the way the heat flows through the material.

Scientists study the thermal hall effect because it can give us insights into the behavior of materials at the nanoscale level. It's also just really cool to watch heat take unexpected turns!