Physicists peer inside the Wigner crystal for the first time

Physicists have found a new way to observe the Wigner crystal, one of matter's most elusive quantum states, in which electrons stop acting independently and organise into a crystal-like pattern. By shining light on an atomically thin material cooled near absolute zero, researchers detected optical signals revealing both the positions and collective movements of the electrons. The breakthrough opens new avenues for studying exotic quantum states of matter.

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