Physicists at MIT have made a groundbreaking discovery by measuring the geometry, or shape, of electrons in solids at the quantum level. This is the first time scientists have been able to directly measure this property.
In a paper published in Nature Physics, researchers led by Riccardo Comin measured the geometry of electrons using a technique called angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). This method allows them to analyze the behavior of electrons as they emit light.
Until now, scientists had only been able to infer the geometry of electrons theoretically. However, with this new measurement, researchers can now obtain new information about these properties that couldn’t be obtained before.
The discovery has significant implications for understanding and manipulating quantum materials. Quantum materials have potential applications in fields such as quantum computing, advanced electronics, and magnetic devices.
According to Comin, the research “opens new avenues for understanding and manipulating the quantum properties of materials.” The team’s findings could be applied to any type of quantum material, not just the one they studied.
The researchers used a technique developed by Kang Mingu, a postdoctoral fellow at Cornell’s Laboratory of Atomic and Solid State Physics. They adapted this technique to measure the geometry of electrons in solids.
Close collaboration between theorists and experimentalists was key to the success of this research. The pandemic also played a role, with Kang being based in South Korea during the pandemic and later testing positive for COVID-19 while Comin worked alone on the experiments.
This discovery is an important milestone in the field of quantum physics, and it marks the first time that scientists have directly measured the geometry of electrons in solids.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2024-12-physicists-quantum-geometry.html