Discovery of the ‘bubble phase of composite fermions’ confirms existence of a new family of quantum matter

In what researchers dubbed the bubble phase of composite fermions, pairs of quasiparticles align in a crystalline pattern, allowing electricity to flow along the edge of the material. The discovery represents a previously unobserved arrangement of composite fermions, which are entities that behave like particles and are formed from the interaction between electrons and magnetism.

“As the first member of a new family of highly correlated topological phases, this new phase expands our understanding and offers a glimpse of the role of electronic interactions in generating higher order correlations in electronic systems,” said Gábor Csáthy, a Purdue University professor and head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

More information can be read on the Purdue University Office of Research website.