Electrons as Key Players in Phase Transitions (3 of 3) (IMAGE)

American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Electrons as Key Players in Phase Transitions (3 of 3)

Caption

This is an artistic rendition of the multifractal patterns observed in the electron probability density of a disordered material. The pattern is from scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) of the ferromagnetic semiconductor Ga1-xMnxAs close to the critical point where the material undergoes the transition from a metal to an insulator. Known as a Mott-Anderson transition, this material exhibits strong electron-electron correlations that appear vital to the formation of these patterns. This image relates to an article that appeared in the February 5, 2010, issue of Science, published by AAAS. The study, by Dr. A. Richardella at Princeton University in Princeton, N.J., and colleagues, was titled, "Visualizing Critical Correlations Near the Metal-Insulator Transition in Ga1-xMnxAs."

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