Observing Curved-Space Quantum Physics in Nano-Sized Metals

There’s a lot of room between the tiny world of the nanoscale and the grand scale over which we usually talk about Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Although the arenas seem vastly different, we may soon be able to observe the phenomena of general relativity in nano-sized metals.

In theoretical work published last week in the American Physical Society’s journal Physical Review X, Alex Westström and Teemu Ojanen from Aalto University in Finland introduce a new class of materials that could be used to study curved-space quantum physics in experiments that would fit on your kitchen table. In addition, they say, these materials could potentially form the basis for a powerful new type of electronic device.