Scientists at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), in partnership with researchers from Berlin, France, the Czech Republic and the US, believe that graphene, when exposed to high magnetic fields, could enable a new type of laser.
According to the team, it has been known for some years that the energy states of graphene in a magnetic field – known as Landau levels – are different to those of semiconductors. "Many fascinating effects have been discovered with graphene in magnetic fields, but the dynamics of electrons have never been studied in such a system until now," said HZDR physicist Dr Stephan Winnerl.
In their work, the team exposed graphene to a 4Tesla magnetic field and the results were said to have 'astonished' the researchers.