3D Dirac Fermions: Natural 3D Counterpart To Graphene Discovered
Monday, February 17, 2014 - 15:40
in Physics & Chemistry
The discovery of what is essentially a 3D version of graphene – the 2D sheets of carbon through which electrons race at many times the speed at which they move through silicon - could lead to much faster transistors and far more compact hard drives. Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have discovered that sodium bismuthate can exist as a form of quantum matter called a three-dimensional topological Dirac semi-metal (3DTDS). This is the first experimental confirmation of 3D Dirac fermions in the interior or bulk of a material, a novel state that was only recently proposed by theorists. read more