Why was Grünberg's GMR discovery important?
GMR was a turning point because it bridged fundamental physics and practical technology. Before 1988, hard drives used inductive read heads that were hitting physical limits. GMR allowed us to detect tiny magnetic fields with high sensitivity, enabling a thousandfold increase in storage density over the next decade. At Jülich, we were just curious about magnetic coupling in layered structures, but the experiment spoke louder than any theory. The Nobel Prize is a recognition of the whole field, not just one person—it spurred the development of spintronics, where we use electron spin, not just charge. Today, every smartphone and laptop owes its storage capacity to that discovery. Sometimes the simplest systems reveal the most profound effects.
Ask Peter Grünberg the follow-up →