A new quasiparticle lurks in semiconductors

There’s a new clique among quantum particles in a semiconductor.Electrons and positively charged holes in the material’s atomic lattice band together to create a tight-knit posse dubbed a collexon, researchers report July 26 in Communications Physics. This new class of quasiparticle — a quantum clan that acts like a single subatomic particle — could help researchers better understand semiconductors, which are essential to most modern electronics.

The collexon is similar to a quasiparticle known as an exciton, a pairing of an electron and a hole (SN: 5/17/14, p. 5). While these pairs go it alone in excitons, electron-hole duos in collexons join forces with the surrounding sea of electrons, Christian Nenstiel, a physicist at the Technical University of Berlin, and colleagues report.

The researchers made this discovery when they inserted germanium atoms into a gallium nitride semiconductor, and zapped the material with a laser to see how it emits light. In similar experiments, emissions from excitons faded as the number of impurities, such as the germanium atoms, increased. But this time, at high concentrations of the introduced atoms, light shone at different wavelengths than seen with the excitons. The team deduced that large numbers of wandering electrons, introduced by the germanium, helped stabilize excitons to form the new type of quasiparticle.

上海千花后花园

It’s too early to predict applications, says study coauthor Gordon Callsen of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland. The discovery instead suggests that researchers underestimate interactions among ensembles of particles in semiconductors. “Lots of interesting physics is still waiting for us,” he says.

相关文章China’s agriculture ministry approves more varieties of genetically modified corn, soybeansChinas pilot projects on industrialization of genetically modified (GM) corn and soybeans have shown promising results in terms of increased production and reduced costs, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (MARA) said on Tuesday. China launched the pilot projects in 2021, and by 2023, the projects expanded to cover 20 counties in five provinces […]

China’s state-owned assets regulator vows to increase tech investment in emerging industriesChina said it will increase investment on technological innovation to bolster strategic emerging industries, the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC) said on Wednesday, in a move to accelerate countrys technology advancement and foster new productive forces.  Zhuang Shuxin, a spokesperson for the SASAC, said on Wednesday that Chinas central […]

Mischief of slandering China’s economy will fail, as it should: SachsEditors Note: Despite facing a complex international situation and multiple headwinds, Chinas economy expanded by 5.2 percent in 2023, surpassing the target. However, a new wave of very negative narratives about Chinas economy has emerged in the Western media lately, attempting to undermine investors confidence in Chinas future. To counter Western medias malicious distortions that […]

Chinese stock markets stage miraculous turnaround, with Shanghai composite index up 0.43% on Thursday

Chinas stock markets staged a miraculous turnaround on Thursday, with the Shanghai Composite Stock Index regaining the psychologically important 2,800 points and closing at 2,845.78. Analysts said the market is expected to stabilize and return to normal operations along with the countrys sustained economic recovery, calling for stepped-up policy support to bolster the economy and […]