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Scientists Create LEDs Only Three Atoms Thick

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2d vs 3d (Score: 4, Interesting)

by fishybell@pipedot.org on 2014-03-11 16:20 (#ER)

So, at 3 atoms thick it magically becomes 2-dimensional? I'm fairly certain at 1 atom thick it still has depth. That depth would be 1 atom in thickness, but that's still more than 0.

Re: 2d vs 3d (Score: 5, Interesting)

by tkdphysics@pipedot.org on 2014-03-11 16:41 (#EX)

That's true, but in many respects the interesting physics really does become 2 dimensional at that point. Conduction means electrons (or holes) moving through the material, and in that sense, there is one less degree of freedom to their motion. Even thicker materials can exhibit essentially 2-D electron behavior. So, while the materials are obviously three dimensional, the physical properties of interest are those of a 2-D system. (Weird, but then it's a quantum system so what do you expect?)

Moderation

Time Reason Points Voter
2014-03-12 01:54 Interesting +1 dgoodmaniii@pipedot.org
2014-03-12 11:55 Insightful +1 reginaldfakename@pipedot.org
2014-03-11 18:27 Informative +1 terryk31@pipedot.org
2014-03-11 17:22 Interesting +1 wakaranai@pipedot.org

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