Researchers accidently exposed a crystal to light, and the result was a 400-fold boost in electricity that lasted for days after the light was turned off. This discovery could greatly improve microchips and other devices.
A student was surprised when she noticed the "conductivity of some strontium titanate" shot up after being left out in the light. The researchers were worried the sample was contaminated, but found it was only a reaction to the light, a Washinton State University news release reported.
"It came by accident," WSU doctoral student Marianne Tarun, said."It's not something we expected. That makes it very exciting to share."
What they witnessed is a phenomenon known as "persistent photoconductivity" could be extremely applicable since it works at room temperature, unlike superconductivity which is commonly applied at temperatures of around absolute zero.
Researchers have created persistent photoconductivity in other materials, but this was by far the most dramatic display.
"The discovery of this effect at room temperature opens up new possibilities for practical devices," Matthew McCluskey, co-author of the paper and chair of WSU's physics department, said. "In standard computer memory, information is stored on the surface of a computer chip or hard drive. A device using persistent photoconductivity, however, could store information throughout the entire volume of a crystal."
The process, called holographic memory, could provide considerable improvements for future devices. Materials like Strontium titanate have a strong presence of electronic phenomena created from " high resistance used for insulation to superconductivity's lack of resistance."
"These diverse properties provide a fascinating playground for scientists but applications so far have been limited," McCluskey said.
To follow up, the team exposed a strontium titanate sample to light for 10 minutes and found its conductivity had considerably improved and stayed strong for days.
"They theorize that the light frees electrons in the material, letting it carry more current," the news release reported.
The study was funded by the National Science Foundation, appeared in the journal Physical Review Letters.
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