A polaron forming in magnesium oxide atoms. Credit: S. Falletta (EPFL)
A polaron forming in magnesium oxide atoms. Credit: S. Falletta (EPFL) - Physicists at EPFL have developed a formulation to solve the longstanding problem of electron self-interaction when studying polarons - quasiparticles produced by electron-phonon interactions in materials. The work can lead to unprecedented calculations of polarons in large systems, systematic studies of large sets of materials, and molecular dynamics evolving over long time periods. One of the many peculiarities of quantum mechanics is that particles can also be described as waves. A common example is the photon, the particle associated with light. In ordered structures, known as crystals, electrons can be seen and described as waves that spread across the entire system - a rather harmonious picture. As electrons move through the crystal, ions - atoms carrying a negative or positive charge - are periodically arranged in space.
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