Looking for novel forms of superconductivity: Two-dimensional electron liquids
Tuesday, September 9, 2014 - 15:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Truly two-dimensional objects are rare. Even a thin piece of paper is trillions of atoms thick. When physicists do succeed in producing 2D systems, quantum interactions can lead to new phenomena and Nobel prizes. Two examples: graphene—-single-atom-thick sheets of carbon atoms—-has unique mechanical, electrical, and optical properties; and two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG)—-planar collections of electrons supported at the interface between certain semiconductors such as gallium arsenide—-allow the observation of such emergent behaviors as the quantum Hall effect and the spin Hall effect.