Imaging the electronic Wigner crystal in one dimension

Abstract

Visualizing a tiny crystal Electrons repel each other. When confined to a small space, electrons can form an ordered, crystalline state called the Wigner crystal. Observing this fragile crystal is tricky because it requires extreme conditions—low temperatures and densities—and very noninvasive probes. Shapir et al. created such conditions in a carbon nanotube, which housed the electrons, and a second nanotube that scanned the first nanotube, serving as a probe. The measured electronic densities were consistent with theoretical predictions for small Wigner crystals of up to six electrons in one dimension. Science , this issue p. 870