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August 24, 2020

Dancing electrons

Researchers confirmed the existence of electronic waves that are frozen at a transition temperature of 125 kelvins and start "dancing together" in a collective oscillating motion as the temperature is lowered. In this illustration, a red laser beam triggers the dance of the newly discovered electronic waves in magnetite.

[Research supported by U.S. National Science Foundation grants DGE 1122374 and DMR 1720595.]

Learn more in the MIT news story Dancing electrons solve a longstanding puzzle in the oldest magnetic material. (Date image taken: March 11, 2020; date originally posted to NSF Multimedia Gallery: Aug. 24, 2020)

Credit: Ambra Garlaschelli


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