Golden ratio seen in a magnet

Abstract

The golden ratio-an exact 'magic' number often claimed to be observed when taking ratios of distances in ancient and modern architecture, sculpture and painting-has been spotted in a magnetic compound. Figure 1 | The golden ratio in ancient architecture. The semi-base, height and apothem of the Great Pyramid of Giza, constructed around 2,550 bc in Egypt, are in the proportions 1:√φ:φ, where φ = 1.618034 is the golden ratio. Coldea and colleagues 1 find that, under a particular magnetic field, the masses of two quasiparticles in cobalt niobate approach the golden ratio.