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Physicists at MIT and the Weizmann Institute of Science have visualized whirlpools in electron fluid. This is the first time they have observed electrons flowing in eddies, or whirlpools, the hallmark of hydrodynamic flow. Theorists have long predicted electron vortexes or vortexes but had not seen one until now. Now, physicists have seen it, and it is a clear sign that electrons are in this new regime, where electrons behave as liquids, not as individual particles. Leonid Levitov, professor of physics at MIT, said, “We know that when an electron enters a liquid state, [energy] dissipation drops, and that’s what’s interesting in designing low-power electronics. This new observation is another step in that direction.” In 2017, Levitov and colleagues at the University of Manchester detected signs of fluid-like electron behavior in graphene. They carved thin channels on the graphene sheet with multiple pinch points. Sending current through a conduit can also fl...

Even though they are separate particles, water molecules flow collectively as a liquid, producing streams, waves, whirlpools, and other classic fluid phenomena. Not so with electricity. While electric current is also a different construction of particles – in this case, electrons – the particles are so small that any collective behavior between them is drowned out by a greater influence when electrons pass through ordinary metals. However, in certain materials and under certain conditions, these effects fade, and electrons can directly affect each other. In this case, the electrons can flow collectively like a liquid. Now, physicists at MIT and the Weizmann Institute of Science have observed electrons flowing in eddies, or whirlpools — a fluid flow feature that theorists predicted electrons would exhibit, but that had not been seen until now. “Electronic vortexes are expected in theory, but there is no direct evidence yet, and seeing is believing,” said Leonid...

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Even though they are separate particles, water molecules flow collectively as a liquid, producing streams, waves, whirlpools, and other classic fluid phenomena. Not so with electricity. While electric current is also a different construction of particles—in this case, electrons—the particles are so small that any collective behavior between them is drowned out by a greater influence when electrons pass through ordinary metals. However, in certain materials and under certain conditions, these effects fade, and electrons can directly affect each other. In this case, the electrons can flow collectively like a liquid. Now, physicists at MIT and the Weizmann Institute of Science have observed electrons flowing in eddies, or whirlpools—a fluid flow characteristic that theorists predicted electrons would exhibit, but that had not been seen until now. “Electronic vortexes are expected in theory, but ther...