New Milestone in Quantum Physics: MIT Measures the Geometry of Electrons in the Quantum World for the First Time

  • This discovery enables physicists to better understand and manipulate the quantum properties of materials.

  • Experts can use this technology to design new elements for aeronautics, quantum computing, and robotics.

MIT measures the geometry of electrons
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Juan Carlos López

Senior Writer

An engineer by training. A science and tech journalist by passion, vocation, and conviction. I've been writing professionally for over two decades, and I suspect I still have a long way to go. At Xataka, I write about many topics, but I mainly enjoy covering nuclear fusion, quantum physics, quantum computers, microprocessors and TVs. LinkedIn

The ways of quantum physics are inscrutable. This quote from theoretical physicist Richard Feynman, a Nobel Prize winner in physics for his contributions to quantum electrodynamics and one of the most admired scientists of the 20th century, captures the discipline’s complexity: “If you think you understand quantum mechanics, you don’t understand quantum mechanics.” Quantum mechanics studies the laws governing tiny particles and the interactions within atomic and subatomic structures.

Most of these laws differ radically from the rules of the macroscopic world. For the past century, physicists have worked to understand known quantum phenomena and uncover new quantum rules. The challenge is that working with extremely small particles is difficult. But that hasn’t stopped progress—MIT has just achieved a major breakthrough.

Physicists Now Better Understand the Quantum Properties of Materials

MIT researchers have precisely measured the geometry of electrons in solid materials at the quantum level. That may not sound like much, but it’s a significant discovery. Until now, physicists could measure the energy and velocity of these elementary particles in crystalline materials, but not their geometry at the quantum level. This discovery “opens new avenues for understanding and manipulating the quantum properties of materials,” Riccardo Comin, an MIT physics professor and research leader, said.

Quantum geometry allows physicists to determine the geometrical characteristics of the wave function.

Before going further, here’s a brief explanation of quantum geometry. It describes the structure of a quantum system, such as how electrons interact in a solid. In practice, this knowledge helps create a map that shows the probability of finding an electron in a specific position. This “map” is called a wave function.

But that’s not all. Quantum geometry also allows physicists to determine the geometric properties of the wave function. This means they can precisely understand how electrons behave in a material and how they influence its properties. In short, quantum geometry helps predict material behavior and design new elements or element combinations for aeronautics, quantum computing and robotics, among other fields.

“We’ve essentially developed a blueprint for obtaining some completely new information that couldn’t be obtained before,” Comin said. Mingu Kang, another physicist involved in the research published in Nature Physics, added, “This knowledge can be applied to any kind of quantum material.” The technique the scientists used to develop their strategy is angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. Broadly speaking, it’s an experimental method used to analyze the electronic structure of materials in detail and understand their fundamental properties.

Image | Xataka On with Grok

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