The movement of thousands of negatively charged atomic particles -- electrons -- makes modern electronics tick. Yet, ubiquitous as electrons are, the particulars of their behavior continue to stump physicists. One phenomenon has proven especially puzzling: how electrons move under the influence of polarized electromagnetic waves.
Polarization occurs when waves, such as electromagnetic or light waves, rotate. Electromagnetic fields called microwaves have a rotating electric field that turns clockwise or counter-clockwise, and most theories predict that microwaves will affect the rotation of electrons. And yet, experimental studies have shown that electrons seem to be unaffected by microwave polarization. These theory-defying results have long perplexed physicists.
A new study by researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) may explain this disparity. In the work, the OIST researchers measured electrical current across a two-dimensional plane. By changing the polarization of microwaves, the researchers were able to show that polarization does indeed affect the electrons' motion. Their findings were published in Physical Review Letters.
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