HYDROTRONICS · Hydrodynamic electronics

Hydrodynamic electronics

Advances in the fabrication of ultra-pure low-dimensional materials have led in recent years to the emergence of a new area of research – hydrodynamic electronics. This cutting-edge field investigates how electrons behave like a fluid in ultra-pure, low-dimensional materials, where collisions between electrons become the dominant force shaping their physical properties, thanks to modern technologies that allow for the routine manufacturing of such samples. This unique "fluid-like" behavior manifests as non-local, superballistic, and viscous transport of energy and electric charge. Following the immense success of graphene research, many novel two-dimensional materials are currently being investigated, aiming at potential applications in nanoelectronics, as well as energy conversion and storage. The past years have seen an explosion of interest, both experimental and theoretical, in the hydrodynamic effects in interacting electron systems in ultra-pure materials. The HYDROTRONICS project pursued two primary aims: • To develop a comprehensive framework for describing hydrodynamic charge and energy transport that can be fine-tuned to various material properties and experimental settings. • To uncover new physics in novel materials through transport and optical measurements. These aims were supported by a strong collaboration among experimental, theoretical, and computational groups, fostering an environment for new ideas and the development of early-stage researchers. The specific research objectives of HYDROTRONICS included: • Electronic hydrodynamics in novel materials, such as van der Waals heterostructures, twisted bilayer graphene, and Weyl semimetals. • Nonlocal and nonlinear phenomena in electronic hydrodynamics, including 2D turbulence. • Light-matter interaction, near-field optics, and coupling to external magnetic systems (e.g., in stacked layered devices). Combining the microscopic and macroscopic methods to interacting electronic systems allowed for a unique perspective and yielded a powerful approach to transport phenomena that can be easily adapted to new materials and experimental settings, as they become accessible in the course of rapid technological progress. Strong collaboration between the groups involved in the project and its overall synergy allowed novel ideas to flourish, promoting a fertile environment in which early-stage researchers could develop their own paths and resolve the biggest issues in the field. Another important goal was a closer integration between the experimental, theoretical, and computational (software development) parts of the network, which will be an important element exposing practitioners in each area to cutting edge progress in the others.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union