Lifeboat Foundation

In a paper published today in Nature Communications, researchers unveiled previously unobserved phenomena in an ultra-clean sample of the correlated metal SrVO₃. The study offers experimental insights that challenge the prevailing theoretical models of these unusual metals.

The international research team—from the Paul Drude Institute of Solid State Electronics (PDI), Germany; Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL); Pennsylvania State University; University of Pittsburgh; the Pittsburgh Quantum Institute; and University of Minnesota—believes their findings will prompt a re-evaluation of current theories on electron correlation effects, shedding light on the origins of valuable phenomena in these systems, including magnetic properties, high-temperature superconductivity, and the unique characteristics of highly unusual transparent metals.

The perovskite oxide material SrVO₃ is classified as a Fermi liquid—a state describing a system of interacting electrons in a metal at sufficiently low temperatures.

“People are always searching for chiral ground states,” McQueeney said. “The reason we use the concept of quasiparticle here is because it is a way of transmitting energy or information, like an electron is a quasiparticle, and we can send it from point A to point B, carrying some information.

A chiral quasiparticle would have other attributes to it. It would have a handedness, for example, and so you could think about novel ways to, say, transmit information from point A to point B, which didn’t involve moving a charge, but moving some chiral signal.

Discovering this new chiral excitation was especially exciting for McQueeney, You don’t expect it to be there, he said. And we still don’t understand why it’s there. As a matter of fact, we’re setting up other experiments to look for it in other materials.

Positioned between microwaves and infrared light, terahertz waves are key to pioneering advancements in imaging and diagnostic technologies. A recent discovery at Tohoku University of a material that can emit these waves more intensely promises to catalyze significant breakthroughs across a spectrum of industries.

Terahertz waves are being intensely studied by researchers around the world seeking to understand the “terahertz gap.” Terahertz waves have a specific frequency that put them somewhere between microwaves and infrared light. This range is referred to as a “gap” because much remains unknown about these waves. In fact, it was only relatively recently that researchers were able to develop the technology to generate them. Researchers at Tohoku University have brought us closer to understanding these waves and filling in this gap of knowledge.

Breakthrough in Terahertz Wave Generation.

Researchers have successfully manipulated the structural properties of magnetite using light-induced phase transitions.

This technique uncovered hidden phases of magnetite, paving the way for new approaches to material manipulation in electronics.

Breakthrough in magnetite phase transition research.

Japanese firm TDK aims to improve next-gen solid-state battery design with a new material utilizing multi-layer lamination technology.

Researchers at EPFL have discovered that by shining different wavelengths (colors) of light on a material called magnetite, they can change its state, e.g., making it more or less conducive to electricity. The discovery could lead to new ways of designing new materials for electronics such as memory storage, sensors, and other devices that rely on fast and efficient material responses.

Dr. Johan Christensen, leader of IMDEA Materials Institute’s Mechanical and Acoustic Metamaterials research group, is among the researchers behind a pioneering study exploring the topological properties of metamaterials.

A device that can host tunable proton and electron currents.

Researchers have created a new class of materials called “glassy gels” that are as hard as glassy polymers, but – if you apply enough force – can stretch up to five times their original length, rather than breaking. A key thing that distinguishes glassy gels is that they are more than 50% liquid, which makes them more efficient conductors of electricity than common plastics that have comparable physical characteristics. Credit: Meixiang Wang, NC State University.

Researchers have developed a new class of materials known as glassy gels, which combine the hardness of glassy polymers with the stretchability of gels.

Continue reading “Hard Yet Stretchable: Scientists Create ‘Unbreakable’ New Material” »