University of Chicago finds slow electrons stay quantum coherent

Researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering have discovered an unusual behavior in the van der Waals magnet Fe 5 GeTe 2, a material discovered seven years ago. The team reports that electrons within the material move collectively and unusually slowly while maintaining quantum coherence, a finding that changes current knowledge of the material and unlocks new technological applications, according to Asst. Prof. Shuolong Yang. Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with a 10-micrometer ultraviolet laser, they observed a “flat band” where electrons exhibit this collective,…