Tech | June 11, 2008 | 4 comments

Curious 'quasiparticles' baffle physicists

source: http://www.cosmosmagazine.com/news/2038/curious-quasiparticles-have-a-quarter-charge-electron

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Israeli physicists have discovered bizarre 'quasiparticles' which have one quarter the charge of an electron, and may be useful in quantum computing.

Quasiparticles are formed within a group of electrons and behave as if they are particles. But they only have a fraction of the charge of an electron, according to lead researcher Merav Dolev from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, who announced the discovery this week. This is weird because no single particle can have a fraction of electric charge.
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4 comments // Curious 'quasiparticles' baffle physicists

  • J_Jammer
    • 0
      J_Jammer [removed]  

    • This is how it works. Once you determine that something HAS to be a certain way but then evidence continues to pop up that suggest otherwise and you ignore it, you're ruining progress.

      Just like when people watch the news and go, "Oh wow this can't get any worse", and it does because humans don't just hit rock bottom and that's that. They dig and make sure they fall further than that.

      "Wow I can't believe she drowned her five kids."

      "Wow I can't believe he threw his three kids over a bridge."

      "Wow I can't believe a 3 year old died of a cocaine over dose."

      It gets progressively worse. Each new event out doing the other. If one was to cap human stupidity they'd be sorely disappointed.

      I believe that's the same with the scientific world. You suggest what you think happens and then you watch and see how often you are right, and are you right enough for it to be transformed into a viable theory.

      Even if you have it as a theory you still watch to see if something different happens that will give you anything different.

      There are always curve balls. Paying attention makes them less of a surprise.

    • 4 years ago
  • Ola_McGee
  • 24French
  • squeege
    • 0
      squeege  

    • this just goes to shows how much we have to learn. i think physicists are too caught up on the idea of "actual particles" to move on to new horizons.

    • 4 years ago
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