"Electrons Frozen in Place: The Discovery of a Strange New Material"
Researchers at Rice University have discovered a novel 3D crystalline metal with a pyrochlore lattice structure that locks electrons in place due to a unique interplay of quantum correlations and geometric frustration, leading to the formation of flat electronic bands. This discovery provides empirical evidence of the effect in a 3D material and sets the stage for further explorations into quantum materials with similar structures, offering potential for new states of matter and exotic electronic behaviors.