Electrons slow to a crawl in a strange new quantum state

Scientists at the University of Chicago have uncovered a surprising quantum state in the layered magnetic material Fe5GeTe2, where huge numbers of electrons move together unusually slowly while remaining quantum coherent. The behavior contradicts existing theoretical predictions about how the material’s magnetism should work and suggests scientists may need to rethink its underlying physics. Electrons slow to a crawl in a strange new quantum state.

Com Over the past decade, scientists have made major progress in creating two-dimensional materials with unusual quantum properties that could eventually support a new generation of technologies. Some of these materials can become superconductors, allowing electricity to flow without energy loss, while others develop charge orders, in which electrons settle into organized patterns instead of moving freely. Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (UChicago PME) have now uncovered an unexpected form of behavior in one such material, Fe 5 GeTe 2.

They found that it can enter a charge-ordered state where large numbers of electrons move together extremely slowly while still maintaining quantum coherence. The findings, published in Science Advances, came from the laboratory of Asst. The discovery challenges existing ideas about how the material behaves and may also point toward new technological uses.