Incompressible electrons
Monday, November 2, 2015 - 08:30
in Physics & Chemistry
Helium usually reminds people of colorful gas balloons. However, helium is much more than the filling for these children's treats. It also helps quantum physicists to study the most exotic and hidden properties of matter. An international team led by Denis Konstantinov, Professor at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), discovered a condition by which electrons trapped on the surface of liquid helium become incompressible at very low temperatures and under microwave radiation. These findings were published in Nature Communications in collaboration with researchers from the Universite' Paris-Sud and the RIKEN Institute.