DIRAKOVO ELECTRONS PAVE WAY TO SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES

In a new study published in the journal Materials Advances, scientists have made a significant advancement in the study of Dirac fermions – particles whose behavior is more similar to photons than electrons. These particles, first predicted by Paul Dirac and later introduced by Andre Geim, Nobel Prize laureates in Physics for 1933 and 2010, respectively, exhibit remarkable properties. Unlike traditional electrons, Dirac fermions are believed to be massless and capable of moving at the speed of light within materials.

This study has unlocked new possibilities in electronic device development, offering the potential for exceptional efficiency and low power consumption by harnessing Dirac fermions. However, a thorough understanding of the characteristics and impacts of these unique particles is essential to implement such technologies. The challenge has been that Dirac fermions typically coexist with conventional electrons in materials, making their clear observation and measurement complex.

A research team led by Ryuhey Kighto has devised a method that enables the selective observation of Dirac fermions. Utilizing the electronic spin resonance technique, which permits the direct observation of non-localized electrons in materials, the researchers successfully identified these particles and elucidated their energy and distribution within the materials.

A noteworthy finding of the study is that the speed of Dirac fermions is anisotropic, meaning it varies based on their orientation and position, unlike the constant speed of light. Describing this phenomenon necessitated introducing the concept of a four-dimensional world, comprising three spatial dimensions (x, y, z) and one energy dimension (e).

This research not only enhances our understanding of Dirac fermions but also paves the way for the development of new electronic devices that could revolutionize computing and communications with their high efficiency and cost-effectiveness.