Unveiling the Mysterious 'Demon' in a Peculiar Superconductor

Physicists at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign have potentially discovered the elusive "demon" wave predicted by physicist David Pines in 1956. Using a technique to track electrons as they bounce off materials, the team observed periodic waves rippling through swarms of electrons in a superconducting metal called strontium ruthenate. These waves, known as "modes," closely match Pines' calculations and demonstrate the existence of the long-sought-after demon. While the exact implications of this discovery are still unknown, it adds a new particle to the understanding of metallic effects and highlights the presence of undiscovered vibrations in materials.