A Superatomic Semiconductor Sets a Speed Record | Columbia Quantum Initiative
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  • Columbia University chemists have developed Re6Se8Cl2, a superatomic semiconductor exhibiting ballistic flow, potentially surpassing conventional semiconductors in speed and efficiency.
  • This material forms acoustic exciton-polarons that move scatter-free across the material, promising faster and more efficient energy and information transfer.
  • Unlike silicon, exciton-polarons in Re6Se8Cl2 pair with phonons, enabling steady, rapid movement without scattering, which could lead to faster processing speeds at room temperature.
  • Re6Se8Cl2 is unlikely for commercial use due to the rarity and cost of Rhenium, but the discovery opens possibilities for other materials with similar properties for future technological applications.
    • TWeaK@lemm.eeEnglish
      2·
      1 year ago

      Yes but they’re talking about acoustic exciton polarons. Which I’m not sure makes great sense, it’s kind of stretching the terminology a little excessively, although maybe it only sounds that way because it’s new. The acoustic part is from the phonon, which is what makes it a polaron, and it is an exciton polaron because it’s an electron-hole pair rather than just an electron. But it also implies the prior existence of an “optical exciton polaron”, a term which hasn’t yet been coined. However, they’re the one discovering the new quasi-particle, so they get to name it. In any case, searching for “acoustic exciton polarons” brings up many articles about this specific paper and little else.