The Existence of Wigner Crystals

PHYSICISTS FROM PRINCETON UNIVERSITY have confirmed that electrons don't even need atoms in order to party together.

- Caroline Delbert

By using magnetic fields, the researchers were able to induce and detect Wigner crystals-orderly assemblies of electrons.

To create and examine a Wigner crystal structure, the scientists used a powerful magnetic field around a readied sample of graphene. Graphene is a preparation of carbon atoms that's just one atom thick, which gives it properties that make it a highly prized tool in the study of microscopic and quantum phenomena. It can be flat, rolled into tubes, wrapped around things, and-in this case-arranged in a double layer. When the magnetic field was applied, each carbon atom's four electrons were put into play and formed triangular Wigner crystals.