Condensed Matter Physics: Magnetoresistance in Layered Manganite Compounds

Magnetoresistance is an effect in which the electrical resistance of a material changes in a magnetic field. This phenomenon is of great importance in magnetic data recording, where a magnetoresistive sensor detects the patterns of bits on magnetic storage media. In his Perspective, Goldman discusses results reported in the same issue by Kimura et al . ( p. 1698 ) that reveal how current is carried in an important group of materials, the layered manganites.