We lose about 10% of the energy generated during transportation. Charged electrons collide and rub against each other, resulting in a loss of energy in the form of waste heat. However, we know that when electrons mate, they can move without friction and thus without losing energy. This phenomenon occurs at lower temperatures. If we could force electrons to behave this way at room temperature, it would save us a lot of money. But first, we need to know how electrons pair up. Physicists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have taken an important step in this direction – for the first time in history they have directly imaging a pair of fermions.
Fermions are a class of particles that includes electrons, protons, neutrons, and some atoms. The researchers worked with potassium-40 atoms, which behave like electrons in some superconducting materials. Scientists have developed a technique that allows observing not only the formation of pairs of particles, but also their patterns and behavior.
They reported their work, which can be used as a starting point for studying the formation of electron pairs in superconductors, in Sciences. Fermion pairs form the basis of superconductivity and many phenomena in atomic physics. Until now, no one has been able to visualize this phenomenon. Seeing him on screen was amazingProfessor Martin Zuerlein says.
Currently, we are not able to observe the coupling of electrons. It’s too small, too fast, and we just don’t have the right tools. Therefore, Zwierlein and his colleagues had to search for a similar system between atoms. They used well-known fermions, potassium atoms 40. In their study, they used a cloud of about 1,000 atoms placed at a very low temperature in nanokelvins. They also used an optical array made of lasers.
Obtaining these images was very difficult. The atoms were moving away from each other, and we saw great empty spaces between them. Over the years, we have had to solve many very serious problems. However, our students were very stubborn and finally saw the expected pictureSaid Zwerlin.
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