Electrons at extremely low density and temperature can crystallize into a solid known as a Wigner crystal. Optical spectroscopy now reveals how these crystals melt at higher densities via an intermediate phase, where crystalline and liquid regions coexist.
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Yoon, Y. Electronic melt. Nat. Phys. 21, 340–341 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02779-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02779-4