Wigner Crystal Discovered - Indications of Quantum Structures in the Early Universe? (The Event Horizon Returns)

The Event Horizon Returns after an extended hiatus
(Science News & Thoughts with Jenny Nielsen)

https://the-eventhorizon.blogspot.com/

News Story:
Scientists at Princeton University have successfully observed a real Wigner crystal, a unique quantum phase of matter theorized 90 years ago by Eugene Wigner. Wigner crystals are composed of electrons arranged in a lattice formation resulting from Coulomb (electrical force) interactions. The achievement, published in Nature, confirms Eugene Wigner's theory that electrons can form structures independently of atoms.

The scientists utilized a high-resolution scanning tunneling microscope to image the Wigner crystal, which was induced in bilayer graphene via application of a magnetic field. The examined the crysal's structural properties as a function of electron density, magnetic field, and temperature. At relatively higher magnetic field, lower temperature (near zero K) and lower electron density, the structure was strongest. At higher density or temperature, the structure melted away. The breakthrough opens up opportunities to explore applications of quantum structures in matter.

Check out a longer article here: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a60481122/wigner-crystals/

Full article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07212-7
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BrainStorm
Jenny's Random, speculative 3 AM thoughts:
1. Are there higher temperature analogues of the Wigner Crystal, or is it only a cold effect?
2. Since electrons came sooner after the big bang than atoms, could Wigner crystals or a different kind of electron structure have formed in the early history of the universe and impacted early structural variation in the early universe?
3. Can the effect be amplified / "kicked up" to impact larger-scale structures?
4. Could quantum fluctuations have formed seed crystals that eventually generated galaxies? Or was it too hot to allow for quantum structures like this?
How relevant is this paper: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/31/1/007/meta Or this one: https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4613-2701-1_11