In experiments, MIT scientists have introduced atoms into a strange “boundary state” where they begin to move freely across the surface of a material without resistance. This particular discovery could be a breakthrough in the field of lossless electrical transmission and the practical application of superconductivity.
Science is frantically searching for superconductors that can be widely used and do not require cooling. Not only could power grids and high-speed magnetic railways be built from these elements, but by solving the challenges that limit fusion power plants, they would essentially help humanity obtain an infinite source of energy.
running on the edge
In the context of research into superconductivity, the quantum version of the Hall effect was discovered in 1980, the essence of which is that in two-dimensional materials such as graphene, electrons can move around the edges of the material without resistance at a temperature of absolute zero.
This phenomenon at the boundary of matter and measuring its properties is very important for creating exotic materials that can lead to superconductivity. The problem is that these processes occur in milliseconds, in femtoseconds, in a fraction of a nanometer, so they are very difficult to measure.
So, as an innovation, the staff of the MIT Electronics Laboratory and the MIT-Harvard Center for Ultracold Atom Research tried to model the behavior of small, fast electrons using sodium atoms. In the model, it was now possible to measure on a larger scale, in milliseconds, in micrometers, and what was happening at the edge of the material could be seen with the naked eye.
So the specialists surrounded the material with laser traps, around which the atoms began to flow in one direction. While the rotating atoms were blown outward by centrifugal force, the laser trap pushed them inward until equilibrium was reached. Under the influence of the Coriolis effect, the atoms behave like electrons in a magnetic field.
The researchers noted that nothing slowed the flow of atoms. They avoided artificial obstacles and showed no signs of friction.
We deliberately put a big green dot. The atoms were supposed to bounce off, instead of following the magnetic field they evaded and kept moving forward merrily.
Richard Fletcher said of Physics of natureOne of the authors of the report published in
According to experts, the experiment is like moving a bowl and rotating it on its wall, but the balls inside see physics unusual for very cold systems.
The special model opens new doors in research, which could lead to the desired energy revolution.
(New Atlas, Popular Mechanics)
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