Newly Discovered Property Could Help Keep Computer Chips Cool

The heat that builds up in the shuttling of current in electronics is an important obstacle to packing more computing power into ever-smaller devices; excess heat can cause them to fail or sap their efficiency. Now, X-ray studies at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have for the first time observed an exotic property that could warp the electronic structure of a material in a way that reduces heat buildup and improves performance in ever-smaller computer components.