Friday, September 25, 2026
Science

Rare quantum state reveals particles with quarter-electron charge

An electron's charge is normally fixed, like a coin you can't break into pieces. But if electrons are cooled close to absolute zero and trapped in a two-dimensional layer under a powerful magnetic field, they organize into a collective state of "quasiparticles" that seem to hold only a fraction of a...

Rare quantum state reveals particles with quarter-electron charge
Image: Phys.org
An electron's charge is normally fixed, like a coin you can't break into pieces. But if electrons are cooled close to absolute zero and trapped in a two-dimensional layer under a powerful magnetic field, they organize into a collective state of "quasiparticles" that seem to hold only a fraction of an electron's charge.

Originally published at Phys.org

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