According to the Ohio State University, a study shows that acoustic phonons, the particles accountable for transmission of both sound and heat, have magnetic properties. It has been revealed by the team of researchers that a magnetic field with the same magnitude of MRI helped reduce the amount of heat flowing through a semiconductor by approximately 12%.

According to Joseph Heremans, Ohio Eminent Scholar in Nanotechnology and professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio State, "This adds a new dimension to our understanding of acoustic waves. We've shown that we can steer heat magnetically. With a strong enough magnetic field, we should be able to steer sound waves, too".

It is assumed that there is no link between heat and sound and they cannot be controlled by magnets. Heremans also considered it to be true, but from quantum mechanical point of view, both heat and sound come from the same form of energy. Therefore, any force, which can control one form of energy, it can also control the other.

Heat is the vibration of atoms and is conducted through materials by vibrations i.e. the atoms vibrate faster in a hotter material. Sound is also the vibration of atoms and through the vibrations only one can talk because vocal chords create vibrations after compressing the air; and then these vibrations travel to other person, who receives them as sound.

The study has been co-authored by many scientists such as Roberto Myers, an associate professor of materials science and engineering, electrical and computer engineer; and Stephen Boona, a postdoctoral researcher in mechanical and aerospace engineering.

And it has been supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF), the US Air Force Office of Scientific Research, the US Army Research Office, and the NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Ohio State.