Best sighting yet of exotic crystals composed entirely of electrons

An image showing a Wigner crystal

Source: © ETH Zurich

2D materials used to stabilise Wigner crystals

Exotic electronic states called Wigner crystals, in which mutual repulsion between electrons causes them to spontaneously form ordered arrangements, have been observed independently by two groups nearly 80 years after they were first predicted. The researchers argue their results, using a new type of spectroscopy, are more conclusive than previous observations.