Scientists at the Weizmann Institute of Science have created a powerful new microscope that allows them to watch the tiniest movements of atoms and electrons in exotic materials like twisted graphene.
Their invention, called the cryogenic Quantum Twisting Microscope (QTM), gives researchers a way to explore the strange and exciting world of quantum physics with more detail than ever before.
Their findings were published in the journal Nature.
Graphene is a material made of a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a honeycomb pattern.
When two layers of graphene are stacked and twisted at just the right angle—known as the “magic angle”—the material starts behaving in mysterious ways.
It can become a superconductor, allowing electricity to flow without resistance, or act as a “strange metal” with unusual electronic properties.
To understand what’s really going on inside twisted graphene, scientists need to study how electrons interact with tiny vibrations in the material.
These vibrations, called phonons, play a major role in how materials conduct heat and electricity.
In some cases, phonons can even cause electrons to pair up, leading to superconductivity.
But until now, it has been nearly impossible to measure how strongly electrons interact with individual phonons in a material.
The newly upgraded QTM changes that. This version of the microscope operates at cryogenic (very low) temperatures and uses ultra-thin materials at its tip.
By sending electrons through layers of graphene and observing how they lose energy during the process, researchers can now detect the exact moment an electron creates a phonon.
Even more impressively, they can measure how strongly the electrons are connected to each individual phonon.
When the researchers tested their microscope on twisted bilayer graphene, they discovered something unexpected—a special kind of low-energy vibration called a “phason.” As the graphene layers approach the magic angle, this phason becomes more and more strongly linked to the electrons.
This interaction could help explain the strange superconducting and metallic behaviors seen in twisted graphene.
What makes this technique so exciting is that it doesn’t just work for phonons. It can also detect many other types of tiny movements in quantum materials, like plasmons (linked to electric charge), magnons (linked to magnetism), and other exotic particles.
The research team believes this is just the beginning. Their new microscope could help scientists unlock new knowledge about quantum materials and develop future technologies like quantum computers, ultra-sensitive sensors, and advanced electronics.
With tools like the cryogenic QTM, we’re getting closer to truly understanding—and controlling—the weird world of quantum physics.
