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This Wild Quasiparticle Switches Between Having Mass and Being Massless. It All Depends on the Direction It Travels


Published on 2024-12-11 17:02:17 - ZME Science
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  • A team of researchers has now observed something physicists had only theorized: a quasiparticle that behaves like it has mass when moving one way and becomes massless when it travels another. This peculiar particle,

The article from ZME Science discusses a groundbreaking discovery in the realm of quantum physics, where researchers have observed that the mass of a quasiparticle, specifically a plasmon, can change based on its direction of travel. This phenomenon was observed in a material known as tungsten ditelluride (WTe2), which exhibits unique electronic properties due to its topological nature. The study, led by scientists from the University of California, Berkeley, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, found that when plasmons move along the material, their effective mass can either increase or decrease depending on the direction. This directional dependency of mass could have significant implications for future technologies, particularly in the development of new types of electronic devices where the control of charge carriers' mass could lead to more efficient data transmission and processing. The findings challenge conventional understanding of mass in physics and open up new avenues for research in materials science and quantum computing.

Read the Full ZME Science Article at:
[ https://www.zmescience.com/science/quasiparticle-mass-direction-travel/ ]

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