Observation of the axion quasiparticle in 2D MnBi2Te4

Newfound imitation dark matter axions might reveal the real thing

A long-elusive, hypothetical subatomic particle called the axion can be simulated and potentially detected in a type of thin material.

Observation of the axion quasiparticle in 2D MnBi2Te4

The axion is a hypothetical fundamental particle that is conjectured to correspond to the coherent oscillation of the θ field in quantum chromodynamics1,2. Its existence would solve multiple fundamental questions, including the strong CP problem of quantum chromodynamics and dark matter, but the axion has never been detected. Electrodynamics of condensed-matter systems can also give rise to a similar θ, so far studied as a static, quantized valu…

Axion Quasiparticle Observed in 2D MnBi2Te4

In an extraordinary breakthrough that bridges fundamental particle physics with condensed matter science, researchers have announced the first direct observation of the elusive axion quasiparticle within a two-dimensional magnetic topological insulator, MnBi₂Te₄. The axion, a hypothetical elementary particle that has long been theorized as a solution to pressing puzzles in high-energy physics—most notably the strong Charge-Parity (CP) problem in…