Magnetism meets topology on a superconductor's surface

Electrons in a solid occupy distinct energy bands separated by gaps. Energy band gaps are an electronic "no man's land," an energy range where no electrons are allowed. Now, scientists studying a compound containing iron, ...

Technique reveals how crystals form on surfaces

The process of crystallization, in which atoms or molecules line up in orderly arrays like soldiers in formation, is the basis for many of the materials that define modern life, including the silicon in microchips and solar ...

'Meta-mirror' reflects sound waves in any direction

Researchers at Duke University and Aalto University (Finland) have constructed a "meta-mirror" device capable of perfectly reflecting sound waves in any direction. The proof-of-principle demonstration is analogous to looking ...

Scientists Track Heat in Tiny Rolls of Carbon Atoms

(PhysOrg.com) -- IBM Research scientists today announced a landmark study in the field of nanoelectronics; the development and demonstration of novel techniques to measure the distribution of energy and heat in powered carbon ...

Synchrotrons explore water's molecular mysteries

(Phys.org)—In experiments at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, scientists observed a surprisingly dense form of water that remained liquid well beyond its typical freezing point.

Why seashells' mineral forms differently in seawater

For almost a century, scientists have been puzzled by a process that is crucial to much of the life in Earth's oceans: Why does calcium carbonate, the tough material of seashells and corals, sometimes take the form of calcite, ...

2D material in three dimensions

The carbon material graphene has no well-defined thickness; it merely consists of one single layer of atoms. It is therefore often referred to as a "two-dimensional material." Trying to make a three-dimensional structure ...

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