A team of scientists led by the University of Cambridge and the Flatiron Institute in New York City has used quantum sensors to reveal how Weyl photocurrents flow in materials. Weyl photocurrents are electric currents that are generated when light shines on a material, and they are named after the physicist Hermann Weyl, who first predicted their existence in 1929.
Weyl photocurrents are of interest to scientists because they could be used to develop new types of electronic devices, such as ultra-fast transistors and solar cells. However, until now, it has been difficult to measure Weyl photocurrents because they are so small.
The team of scientists used a quantum sensor called a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to measure Weyl photocurrents in a material called tungsten ditelluride. The STM works by scanning a sharp metal tip over the surface of a material, and it can be used to measure the flow of electrons at the atomic level.
The team of scientists found that Weyl photocurrents flow in a very specific way in tungsten ditelluride. The currents flow along the edges of the material's crystal lattice, and they are strongest at the corners of the lattice. This finding is important because it provides a new understanding of how Weyl photocurrents work, and it could lead to the development of new types of electronic devices.
The study is published in the journal Nature Physics.
Weyl photocurrents are electric currents that are generated when light shines on a material. They are named after the physicist Hermann Weyl, who first predicted their existence in 1929.
Weyl photocurrents are of interest to scientists because they could be used to develop new types of electronic devices, such as ultra-fast transistors and solar cells. However, until now, it has been difficult to measure Weyl photocurrents because they are so small.
The team of scientists used a quantum sensor called a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) to measure Weyl photocurrents in a material called tungsten ditelluride. The STM works by scanning a sharp metal tip over the surface of a material, and it can be used to measure the flow of electrons at the atomic level.
The team of scientists found that Weyl photocurrents flow in a very specific way in tungsten ditelluride. The currents flow along the edges of the material's crystal lattice, and they are strongest at the corners of the lattice.
This finding is important because it provides a new understanding of how Weyl photocurrents work, and it could lead to the development of new types of electronic devices.
