3D Trap (IMAGE) Massachusetts Institute of Technology Caption MIT physicists have trapped electrons in a pure crystal, marking the first achievement of an electronic flat band in a three-dimensional material. The rare electronic state is thanks to a special cubic arrangement of atoms (pictured) that resembles the Japanese art of “kagome.” The results provide a new way for scientists to explore rare electronic states in 3D materials. Credit Courtesy of Joseph Checkelsky, Riccardo Comin, et al Usage Restrictions Images are made available to non-commercial entities, press and the general public under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives license. You may not alter the images provided, other than to crop them to size. A credit line must be used when reproducing images License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.