Researchers at IBM's Almaden Research Center in California have developed a new technique to explore and control magnetism at the atomic level. 

"We can now position atoms and then measure and control their magnetic interactions within precisely designed structures," said IBM researcher Andreas Heinrich.

Researchers built a chain of 10 manganese atoms and measured how the magnetic properties changed as each new atom was added.

They found that a chain containing an odd number of atoms had magnetism, but chains with an even number of atoms did not.

The research is considered an essential step in the development of nano-scale microprocessors where single atoms or groups of atoms perform functions on a chip similar to transistors and other microelectronic elements.

"We will then need alternative structures, and perhaps altogether different ways of computing. Techniques like this can help us gain the knowledge needed to create those alternatives," said Heinrich.

The research could also be applied to the field of spintronics, in which researchers are attempting to build computing devices by altering the electron state of atoms through magnetism.