Physicists discovered a new kind of quasiparticles

Such an unusual discovery was made by engineers from the University of Manchester, working under the leadership of A. Game. They discovered a completely new family of quasiparticles in graphene-boron nitride. These new quasiparticles are called Brown-Zack fermions. It is about this unique discovery that I will tell you now.

How new particles were discovered

The discovery became possible thanks to the painstaking work of engineers, during which they managed to almost perfectly align the atomic lattice of the graphene layer with the insulating boron nitride layer. At the same time, it turned out to significantly change the properties of graphene itself.

So, according to the explanations of the participants in the experiment, in a zero magnetic field, the trajectory of the movement of electrons is straightforward until a magnetic field is applied to the material. After such an impact, the trajectory of the electrons changes and takes on an arched shape.

So in aligned graphene, exactly the same properties are initially manifested. But if the magnetic field with certain parameters is arranged in a special way, then the particles in aligned graphene again move rectilinearly, as if there was no magnetic field at all.

This behavior of electrons is very different from theoretical assumptions. And scientists linked this phenomenon with the formation of previously unknown quasiparticles with increased mobility in a strong magnetic field.

Prior to the current experiment, the general behavior of electrons in a graphene layer was described using Diekard fermions - a special kind of fermions. But they could not describe the new observed properties.

That is why the authors of the study proposed completely new Brown-Zack fermions. These are special quasiparticles that exist in graphene superlattices in a magnetic field of increased intensity.

In principle, they can be represented as cumulative vibrations of electrons in a graphene layer, which demonstrate “collective behavior” just like a giant particle with zero mass.

Due to their unique properties, the new quasiparticles practically do not react in any way to strong magnetic fields and are able to move along a straight path.

At the same time, experiments showed that the new particles remained straight in motion at a magnetic induction of 16 Tesla (which is 500,000 times greater than the natural magnetic field of the Earth).

Where can the discovery be applied

Any discovery should be useful and, according to scientists, their discovery will find its application. when creating new electronic devices that will have special resistance to magnetic fields.

Experiments in this direction continue and scientists will experiment with other two-dimensional materials, since there is a high probability that similar quasiparticles exist in other materials.

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