Existence of two species of (FEBs) found in Superfluid Helium

Existence of two species of (FEBs) found in Superfluid Helium

Question: Scientists from which of the following institution discovered the Existence of two species of (FEBs) in Superfluid Helium?
a) IISc
b) CSIR
c) TIFR
d) None of these
Answer: (a)
Related Facts:-

  • Existence of two species of few electron bubbles (FEBs) found in Superfluid Helium.
  • Existence of two species of few electron bubbles (FEBs) in superfluid helium found for the first time.
  • Scientists at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have experimentally shown this.
  • These FEBs can serve as a useful model to study how the energy states of electrons and interactions between them in a material influence its properties.
  • The team of scientists at Bengaluru-based IISc has done the research which culminated in this kind of discovery.
  • The team included Neha Yadav, a former PhD student at the Department of Physics, Prosenjit Sen, Associate Professor at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE) and others.
  • The study was published in the journal ‘Science Advances’.
  • The research indicated that an electron injected into a superfluid form of helium creates a single electron bubble (SEB).
  • This SEB is like a cavity that is free of helium atoms and contains only the electron.
  • The shape of the bubble depends on the energy state of the electron, for instance, the bubble is spherical when the electron is in the ground state (1S).
  • There are also MEBs multiple electron bubbles that contain thousands of electrons.
  • FEBs, on the other hand, are nanometre-sized cavities in liquid helium containing just a handful of free electrons.
  • The number, state and interactions between free electrons dictate the physical and chemical properties of materials.
  • Studying FEBs, therefore, could help scientists better understand how some of these properties emerge when a few electrons present in a material interact with each other.
  • According to the authors, understanding how FEBs are formed can also provide insights in to the self-assembly of soft materials.
  • It can be important for developing next- generation quantum materials. However, scientists have only theoretically predicted the existence of FEBs so far.
  • Researcher Neha Yadav said, we have now experimentally observed FEBs for the first time and understood how they are created.
  • These are nice new objects with great implications if we can create and trap them.
  • Yadav and colleagues were studying the stability of MEBs at nanometer sizes when they serendipitously observed FEBs.

Links:-
https://www.edexlive.com/news/2021/jul/12/iisc-scientists-discover-two-species-of-few-electron-bubbles-in-superfluid-helium-22433.html