The condensation of excitons with non-zero momentum can give rise to so-called charge density waves (CDW). This phenomenon can prompt the transition of materials into a fascinating new quantum phase, ...

University of Cambridge researchers have discovered that a material already known for its peculiar electrical properties appears to behave as both a conductor and an insulator at the same time. This ...

Sun et al. selectively excited surface-carriers in topological insulators by directing circularly polarized light at oblique incidence on the surface of the crystal. They determined the resulting ...

Normally metals and insulators sit at opposite ends of a spectrum of conductivity, but researchers have discovered a material that can switch between those states freely, even at room temperature. The ...

An optical analogue of a topological insulator has been created by physicists based in Israel and Germany. Consisting of an array of helical waveguides, light cannot propagate between waveguides in ...

The need to integrate renewable energy resources, and prepare for increased demand for power as electrification takes hold in transportation and other sectors, creates challenges for an aging grid.

A perfect insulator, or a material that reflects heat while absorbing none of it, has been created by scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Sandia National Laboratories. Besides ...

Insulator or superconductor? Physicists find graphene is both, at a 'magic angle.' It's hard to believe that a single material can be described by as many superlatives as graphene can. Since its ...