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Best sighting yet of exotic crystals composed entirely of electrons
Exotic electronic states called Wigner crystals, in which mutual repulsion between electrons causes them to spontaneously form ordered arrangements, have been observed independently by two groups nearly 80 years after they were first predicted. The researchers argue their results, using a new type of spectroscopy, are more conclusive than previous observations.
Scientists create solid crystal form of electrons in the lab
Researchers at ETH Zurich have created a crystal made entirely of electrons. The structures have been theorized for decades, but this marks the first time they’ve been experimentally confirmed in the lab.
A crystal made of electrons
Researchers at ETH Zurich have succeeded in observing a crystal that consists only of electrons. Such Wigner crystals were already predicted almost ninety years ago but could only now be observed directly in a semiconductor material.