'Magnetic flames' in molecular magnets exhibit properties akin to fire

'Magnetic flames' in molecular magnets exhibit properties akin to fire: "Yoko Suzuki, a graduate student at The City College, devised an experiment to measure the progress of a molecular avalanche through a crystal of Mn12 (manganese) acetate using an array of tiny micrometer sized Hall sensors placed underneath the specimen. Ms. Suzuki observed that the avalanche began at one end of the crystal and propagated at speeds of a few meters per second in the form of a “flame” front that released magnetic energy into the crystal. "