We care about your data, and we'd like to use cookies to give you a smooth browsing experience. Please agree and read more about our privacy policy.
Quanta Homepage
  • Physics
  • Mathematics
  • Biology
  • Computer Science
  • Topics
  • Archive

What's up in

crystals

Latest Articles

A levitating puck of material.
superconductivity

Room-Temperature Superconductor Discovery Meets With Resistance

By Charlie Wood +1 authors
Zack Savitsky
March 8, 2023
Comment
Read Later

A paper in Nature reports the discovery of a superconductor that operates at room temperatures and near-room pressures. The claim has divided the research community.

geometry

Mathematicians Complete Quest to Build ‘Spherical Cubes’

By Jordana Cepelewicz
February 10, 2023
Comment
Read Later

Is it possible to fill space “cubically” with shapes that act like spheres? A proof at the intersection of geometry and theoretical computer science says yes.

Hands hold a ball-and-stick model of a pill-shaped molecule called a fullertube.
chemistry

‘Fullertubes’ Join the Family of Carbon Crystals

By James R. Riordon
December 20, 2022
Comment
Read Later

The buckminsterfullerene revolution never came, but some researchers are eagerly exploring the properties of newfound carbon crystals known as fullertubes.

A video in which a metallic cube floats above a dark disk as liquid nitrogen evaporates around them
condensed matter physics

High-Temperature Superconductivity Understood at Last

By Charlie Wood
September 21, 2022
Comment
Read Later

A new atomic-scale experiment all but settles the origin of the strong form of superconductivity seen in cuprate crystals, confirming a 35-year-old theory.

A photo illustration of Jie Shan and Kin Fai Mak’s faces overlaid with hexagonal grids.
condensed matter physics

Physics Duo Finds Magic in Two Dimensions

By Charlie Wood
August 16, 2022
Comment
Read Later

In exploring a family of two-dimensional crystals, a husband-and-wife team is uncovering a potent variety of new electron behaviors.

A Kagome lattice with atomic spin arrows placed on the edges.
quantum physics

Quantum Simulators Create a Totally New Phase of Matter

By Charlie Wood
December 2, 2021
Comment
Read Later

One of the first goals of quantum computing has been to recreate bizarre quantum systems that can’t be studied in an ordinary computer. A dark-horse quantum simulator has now done just that.

A grid of balls connected by lines in a triangular pattern.
condensed matter physics

Physicists Create a Bizarre ‘Wigner Crystal’ Made Purely of Electrons

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan
August 12, 2021
Comment
Read Later

The unambiguous discovery of a Wigner crystal relied on a novel technique for probing the insides of complex materials.

patterns

Turing Patterns Turn Up in a Tiny Crystal

By Elena Renken
August 10, 2021
Comment
Read Later

The mechanism behind leopard spots and zebra stripes also appears to explain the patterned growth of a bismuth crystal, extending Alan Turing’s 1952 idea to the atomic scale.

Animation of a gemstone flipping up and down between mirror-image states.
quantum computing

Eternal Change for No Energy: A Time Crystal Finally Made Real

By Natalie Wolchover
July 30, 2021
Comment
Read Later

Like a perpetual motion machine, a time crystal forever cycles between states without consuming energy. Physicists claim to have built this new phase of matter inside a quantum computer.


Previous
  • 1
  • 2
Next
Follow Quanta
Facebook
Facebook

Twitter
Twitter

Youtube
YouTube

Instagram
Instagram

RSS
RSS

Newsletter

Past Month

Most Read Articles

This Data is Current Loading...
This Data is Current Loading...
This Data is Current Loading...
The Quanta Newsletter

Get highlights of the most important news delivered to your email inbox

Recent newsletters
Quanta Homepage
Facebook
Twitter
Youtube
Instagram

  • About Quanta
  • Archive
  • Contact Us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Simons Foundation
All Rights Reserved © 2023