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A strange quantum metal just rewrote the rules of electricity


In a remarkable leap for quantum physics, researchers in Japan have uncovered how weak magnetic fields can reverse tiny electrical currents in kagome metals—quantum materials with a woven atomic structure that frustrates electrons into forming complex patterns. These reversals amplify the metal’s electrical asymmetry, creating a diode-like effect up to 100 times stronger than expected. The team’s theoretical explanation finally clarifies a mysterious phenomenon first observed in 2020, revealing that quantum geometry and spontaneous symmetry breaking are key to this strange behavior.

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