From Excitons to Electronic Fluids in Atom-Thin Solids
Nathaniel Gabor, UC Riverside
When combined into unusual bound states, the fundamental charge carriers in electronic devices - electrons and holes - can exhibit many phases ranging from gases and liquids to solids and even plasma, yet such phases are difficult to observe under normal conditions. Fortunately, a new class of atom-thin electronic materials has given us unprecedented access to many of these highly exotic phases. In this talk, I discuss how bound electrons and holes (excitons) in atom-thin heterostructure devices conspire to form fluid-like states, leading to unusual optoelectronic properties. I also discuss new experimental developments that allow us to directly visualize such fluids, giving us insight into how electronic fluids form, how they grow, and how they move through their electronic environment. Electronic fluids in atom-thin solids promise to drastically alter the way we design new devices, and - more interestingly - may give us new insight into how electronic charge carriers can take on the properties of solids, liquids, gases, and plasma.