Vortex of electrons provides unprecedented information on magnetic quantum states in solids

Electron states in solids are responsible for many material properties, such as color and electrical conductivity. However, because of their confinement within the crystal, it is very difficult to study the quantum physical properties of the electrons in detail. Konstantin Bliokh and Franco Nori from the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, in collaboration with researchers in Austria, have now successfully measured free electron properties equivalent to those in solids for the first time u...