A team of researchers from Würzburg has for the first time experimentally demonstrated a quantum tornado. Electrons form vortices in the momentum space of the quantum semi-metal tantalum arsenide.
Scientists have long known that electrons can form vortices in quantum materials. What's new is the proof that these tiny particles create tornado-like structures in momentum space -- a finding that has now been confirmed experimentally. This achievement was led by Dr. Maximilian Ünzelmann, a group leader at ct.qmat -- Complexity and Topology in Quantum Matter -- at the Universities of Würzburg and Dresden. Demonstrating this quantum phenomenon marks a major milestone in quantum materials research. The team hopes that the vortex-like behavior of electrons in momentum space could pave the way for new quantum technologies, such as orbitronics, which would use electrons' orbital torque to transmit information in electronic components instead of relying on electrical charge, potentially slashing energy losses.
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