Electrons that can’t be detected within materials still play a role in determining their properties
Dmytro Razinkov/Alamy
“Dark” electrons within solid materials may help us learn more about the behaviour of high-temperature superconductors, and perhaps solve other mysteries in material science.
Most of a material’s properties, such as how easily it conducts electricity or reflects light, are dictated by the motion of its electrons. One way of determining these properties is spectroscopy – shining a light on a material and analysing the spectrum of the light that bounces back in order to reveal which frequencies are absorbed or reflected.
/https://tf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com/filer_public/d1/82/d18228f6-d319-4525-bb18-78b829f0791f/mammalevolution_web.jpg "How to Make a Mammal in Nine Evolutionary Steps")
Discussion about this post