Science Magazine Podcast Strange metals and our own personal ‘oxidation fields’
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May 22, 2025 Zack Savitsky, a freelance science journalist, delves into the enigmatic world of strange metals, discussing how their unique electron behavior could pave the way for room-temperature superconductors. Nora Zannoni, a postdoctoral researcher, returns to explore how personal oxidation fields interact with common products like hand lotion, impacting indoor air quality. Their intriguing conversation unveils connections between quantum physics and everyday life, revealing the hidden science behind the air we breathe and the products we use.
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Strange Metals Behave as Quantum Soup
- Strange metals behave unlike traditional metals; electrons act more like a thick quantum soup than individual particles.
- This challenges basic understanding of electricity and resistivity in materials.
Shot Noise Reveals Electron Soup
- Researchers conducted shot noise experiments by listening to electron flow noise in strange metals.
- Instead of distinct electron 'pitter-patter', they heard a continuous mist-like noise, indicating electron indistinguishability.
Entangled Electrons in Strange Metals
- Strange metals exhibit multipartite entanglement with at least nine electrons entangled simultaneously.
- This entanglement suggests electrons lose discrete identity, forming a cohesive quantum state.