Six Flux Composite Fermions

A team of physicists at Purdue University has discovered a new particle, the six-flux composite fermion, expanding the understanding of the fractional quantum Hall effect beyond the known two-flux and four-flux states. This significant finding highlights the critical role of high-quality semiconductor materials and supports the advancement of quantum physics research.

If the fractional quantum Hall regime were a series of highways, these highways would have either two or four lanes. The flow of the two-flux or four-flux composite fermions, like automobiles in this two- to four-flux composite fermion traffic scenario, naturally explains the more than 90 fractional quantum Hall states that form in a large variety of host materials.

Physicists at Purdue University have recently discovered, though, that fractional quantum Hall regimes are not limited to two-flux or four-flux and have discovered the existence of a new type of emergent particle, which they are calling six-flux composite fermion. They have recently published their groundbreaking findings in Nature Communications.    READ MORE...

Ancient Japanese Art

Inspired by Kintsugi, scientists at PPPL have developed a method to manage plasma in fusion reactors by utilizing magnetic field imperfections, enhancing stability and paving the way for more reliable and efficient fusion power. Credit: SciTechDaily.com




Scientists take advantage of imperfections in magnetic fields to enhance fusion plasma.

In the Japanese art of Kintsugi, an artist takes the broken shards of a bowl and fuses them back together with gold to make a final product more beautiful than the original.

That idea is inspiring a new approach to managing plasma, the super-hot state of matter, for use as a power source. Scientists are using the imperfections in magnetic fields that confine a reaction to improve and enhance the plasma in an approach outlined in a new paper in the journal Nature Communications.  READ MORE...