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New State of Matter Detected in a Two-Dimensional Material (phys.org)
An anonymous reader cites a report on Phys.org: An international team of researchers have found evidence of a mysterious new state of matter, first predicted 40 years ago, in a real material. This state, known as a quantum spin liquid, causes electrons -- thought to be indivisible building blocks of nature -- to break into pieces. The researchers, including physicists from the University of Cambridge, measured the first signatures of these fractional particles, known as Majorana fermions, in a two-dimensional material with a structure similar to graphene. Their experimental results successfully matched with one of the main theoretical models for a quantum spin liquid, known as a Kitaev model. The results are reported in the journal Nature Materials. Quantum spin liquids are mysterious states of matter which are thought to be hiding in certain magnetic materials, but had not been conclusively sighted in nature. The observation of one of their most intriguing properties -- electron splitting, or fractionalisation -- in real materials is a breakthrough. The resulting Majorana fermions may be used as building blocks of quantum computers, which would be far faster than conventional computers and would be able to perform calculations that could not be done otherwise.
Are thought to be indivisible?? Since when?
In Soviet Russia you dant have to put up with these crappy jokes
Have we discovered magnetic monopoles?
There obviously are no "2-dimensional materials", just thin, 3-dimensional layers of material that may have interesting properties. Also, I don't believe for a second that "electrons break apart" in this "mystical" matter - this will most likely turn out to be just about some fancy maths, using fractional charges to describe a model of the "interesting properties". I stopped reading when the article started fantasizing about the use in quantum computers. That's the point where you know they just want to ride some hype in lieu of some substantial results they could present. Sorry for being so pessimistic - I'm a physicist, too.
Uhm... I know Physics was a while ago for me - but can you point to some of that 'elementary science' that indicates how electrons have been thought to be divisible for 50 years?
At least wikipedia seems to disagree: "Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family,[9] and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have no known components or substructure."
[ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electron ]
My brain is not wired up for this kind of stuff
So... If electrons break into parts of some sort in this state, does that imply that electrons are made of some other, more fundamental particles? It was my understanding that all of the standard model particles were supposed to be as basic as if gets, at least until you start talking about strings or some other all-encompassing ultimate particle. For that matter, if electrons break into parts, doesn't that suggest the same is true at least of the other leptons? ...and if any of this is what the summary says, why haven't we been hearing about this for years as a possible avenue of exploration for physics beyond the standard model?
This is interesting, but why does every new announcement in physics have to be hailed as a potential breakthrough for quantum computers? At the rate of breakthroughs in the last couple of years, we should have had working quantum computers 5 years ago.
I was going to say that I had thought so, but then I realized that my HS physics class WAS half a century ago!
Slow down, cowboy! It has been 4 hours since you last posted. You must wait another few hours.
I was going to say that I had thought so, but then I realized that my HS physics class WAS half a century ago!
Are you sure you are thinking of _electrons_ and not atoms or protons or something else? Electrons are leptons which are considered to be fundamental...
(wikipedia on electron)
but there used to be multiple theories about electron cathode rays, too, so someday they'll all find they're talking the same thing.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
subatomic physics have come a long way from the Greeks.
if this is supposed to be a new economy, how come they still want my old fashioned money?
An international team of researchers have found evidence of a mysterious new state of matter... known as a quantum spin liquid... in a two-dimensional material.
Damn. That's a wasted opportunity. I would have called it "flatsma".
AH! I think I finally understand why the internet runs on cats now!
the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
I knew it. Sex exists at the quantum level; this is why effing is awesome.
You've posted this multiple times. I dare you to explain why the dual slit experiments show electrons to be divisible.
Aren't all know particles three dimensional objects?
That doesn't show they're divisible, just their probability wave can interfere. Going to say photons are divisible now?
That is sad, that they have forgot some nice Greek philosophy.
There is principle, which states, that nothing energetically stable could 'spontaneously split' without requiring external force.
There is another principle, which states, that even a single contradiction is enough to refute a any claimed truth, and only total absence of a known counter-example is qualified for a current approximation to the truth. Building complicated, unverifiable models is not a science, it is a religious sectarianism. Like Kundalini and other nonsense.
But who cares about old principles nowadays? Publish fast, publish a lot, get more grants, social status, etc.
A comment explains the "divisibility":
Could have just as easily left that as "I dare you to explain the dual slit experiment". the implications of it really frighten people. I understand why divisible electrons is easier to cope with.
When will this help me DL porn faster?
I can't believe it's not butter!
Electrons go MOO, MOO you ELECTRONS!!!
For the win sexconker!
Exactly how would electron divisibility explain the dual-slot experiment? You get interference patterns when you're firing only one or a whole bunch of electrons at a time. If you detect which slot each electron is going through, you get no interference patterns no matter how many. If electrons split into two and headed for the slots, why do you think we'd get interference patterns?
"When you have eliminated the unacceptable, whatever is left, however improbable, must be the truthiness" - Holmes