A New Type of Matter?

New Scientist magazine describes a new type of matter that is unlike anything else we’ve seen in the universe so far: “string-net liquid.”

Scientists have been able to construct  a type of matter that displays something called the “fractional quantum hall effect” (or FQHE).

Different phases of matter are characterised by the way their atoms are organised. In a liquid, for instance, atoms are randomly distributed, whereas atoms in a solid are rigidly positioned in a lattice. FQHE systems are different. “If you take a snapshot of the position of electrons in an FQHE system they appear random and you think you have a liquid,” says Wen. But step back, and you see that, unlike in a liquid, the electrons dance around each other in well-defined steps.

The researchers discovered an impure sample of this type of matter in a green crystal found by geologists in Chile many years ago (called “herbertsmithite”, see photo). The geologists had no idea what they had found. But the scientists were inspired to create a pure sample in their lab. The sample they created displayed properties never before seen in any existing material. For example, it maintained steady heat conductivity in temperatures down to just above absolute zero.

All kinds of theoretical implications have arisen from this discovery–and some very practical ones, such as the possibility of constructing quantum computers.

Fascinating stuff.