PTI, Washington:  Scien­tists have discovered a novel phase of matter characterised by an unusual ordering of electrons, that offers possibilities for new electronic device functionalities.
This phase could hold the solution to a long-standing mystery in condensed matter physics  having to do with high-temperature superconductivity - the ability for some materials to conduct electricity without resistance, even at "high" temperatures approa­ching 100 degrees Celsius.
"The discovery of this phase was completely unexpected and not based on any prior theoretical prediction," said David Hsieh, an assistant professor at the California Institute of Technology in US.
"The whole field of electronic materials is driven by the discovery of new phases, which provide the playgrounds in which to search for new macroscopic physical properties," Hsieh said. The researchers made the discovery while testing a laser-based measurement technique that they recently developed to look for what is called multipolar order.