Dirac electrons were created in superconducting polymers by researchers from Ehime University in Japan, led by physicist Ryohei Ohka. Under special conditions, electrons behave like massless photons moving at the speed of light.
This particle behavior follows the quantum mechanical wave equations described in 1928 by Nobel Prize-winning English theoretical physicist Paul Dirac. The presence of Dirac electrons that bear his name has already been observed in so-called topological materials, the most famous of which is graphene, which consists of a two-dimensional lattice of carbon atoms. However, there were practical limitations to these observations, as Dirac electrons formed pairs with regular electrons, which perturbed the measurements.
Oka and his colleagues solved the problem by taking advantage of electron spin resonance. Due to the dipole property of electrons, their spin can be changed using a magnetic field – this method successfully separated special electrons from their natural pair in a superconducting organic polymer called BEDT-TTF.
Their speed is not constant
Conventional electrons become Dirac electrons in such a way that under special conditions they acquire extraordinary powers resulting from the special theory of relativity, for example, moving very efficiently through matter in an environment of interfering atoms. The observed electrons are depicted in the form of an hourglass, appearing in the company of butterflies and mushrooms in drawings by Japanese artists.
The Japanese researchers' observations revealed that at least four dimensions are necessary to describe its motion: In addition to the dimensions of space, the energy level of the electron must also be taken into account when representing the conductivity of a material.
During the analysis, things were also revealed that we did not know about until now, which is that the speed of electrons is not constant, but rather depends on temperature and
It depends on the angle between the magnetic field and the material.
Electrons usually travel at 1% of the speed of light.
Semiconductors, superconductors and topological materials are very important for technical development, although we still do not know much about their behavior. Applications of knowledge of Dirac electrons could have an important role, for example, in building quantum computers.
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