A group of researchers has found electrons moving in the fourth dimension; given their ultra-fast speeds, these electrons seemed to defy the understanding of the universe. Since high school, we have been taught all about atomic models, specifically electrons, and since then, it has been asserted that they travel in three dimensions.
Recent research has discovered that electrons do not operate in the third dimension but in something known as the energy dimension. A space where time and energy intertwine uniquely. These electrons were named Dirac electrons as they must be described in four dimensions to fully understand their properties.
A Milestone for Physics: Electrons Move in the Fourth Dimension
A team of physicists, led by Dr. Ryuhei Oka from Ehime University in Japan, has achieved an unprecedented breakthrough by observing electrons moving at ultra-fast speeds in a four-dimensional space.
Scientists focused on a special material known as bis(ethylenedithio)-tetrathiafulvalene, a superconductor polymer. What they found was truly something never seen before Dirac electrons, particles characterized by having no mass, allowing them to reach incredible speeds. These electrons, besides moving in the three spatial dimensions we know, also move through something experts have termed the energy dimension, a space where time and energy intertwine in an entirely new way.
The Fourth Dimension: A Project with Many Challenges
We know that the behavior of electrons in materials is conditioned by various quantum properties that determine how they orbit within the matter they are part of. This phenomenon is similar to how the path light takes when traveling through the universe is altered due to the presence of stars, black holes, dark matter, or dark energy, which are capable of curving spacetime. While Dirac electrons are closely related to topological materials, studying these electrons is no easy task. Their coexistence with normal electrons makes their detection and measurement still quite a challenge for science.
To overcome this obstacle, scientists employed an innovative technique called electronic spin resonance. This technique allowed them to observe how electrons interact with a magnetic field, leveraging the spinning charge distribution of the electrons to distinguish them from their standard counterparts. What they discovered was precisely how quickly these electrons move – in fact, their speed is not constant but varies depending on factors such as temperature and the angle of the magnetic field.
Therefore, the existence of Dirac electrons moving in the fourth dimension forces a reconsideration of the laws governing the subatomic world. It opens the door to new technologies, where ultra-fast electronic devices, next-generation quantum computers, and even materials with properties we have yet to discover could be developed.
