Quantum Trick Makes Metals Become Insulators

Future technologies ranging from information technology to high-temperature superconductivity require new materials with tailored electronic properties. A novel quantum simulator consisting of ultracold atoms in an optical lattice functions as a construction kit with which scientists can create and investigate new materials. Physicists have succeeded in simulating one of the most dramatic electronic phenomena with the aid of this quantum simulator: when the interactions between the electrons become too strong, a metal can suddenly become insulating.

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