Indian Institute of Science Researchers Observe Graphene Electrons Defying Wiedemann-Franz Law in Quantum Breakthrough

IISc scientists observe electrons in graphene flowing like a frictionless liquid, breaking a core law of physics. Read about the new Dirac fluid discovery.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 15, 2026, 10:30 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Indian Institute of Science (IISc)

Challenging Centuries of Established Physics

A research team at the Indian Institute of Science has documented a rare quantum phenomenon where electrons in a single layer of carbon atoms move with liquid-like synchronization. This behavior directly challenges the Wiedemann-Franz law, a cornerstone of physics which dictates that heat and electrical conductivity in metals must remain proportional to one another. By achieving an unprecedented level of material purity, the investigators observed a state where these two properties diverged by a factor of over 200, marking a significant departure from standard electronic behavior.

The Emergence of the Exotic Dirac Fluid

This frictionless flow occurs at the "Dirac point," a precise boundary where graphene transitions between metallic and insulating properties. At this junction, electrons abandon their behavior as individual particles and instead move collectively, forming what scientists call a Dirac fluid. This substance mimics the quark-gluon plasma typically only seen in high-energy particle accelerators at CERN. First author Aniket Majumdar noted that this fluid exhibits such low viscosity that it represents one of the closest examples of a "perfect fluid" ever recorded in a laboratory setting.

A Universal Constant Amidst Anomalous Conductance

Despite the radical split between heat and electrical movement, the researchers found that the material still adheres to a universal quantum constant. This connection is rooted in the "quantum of conductance," a fundamental value that governs electron behavior at the smallest imaginable scales. Professor Arindam Ghosh emphasized that even twenty years after the discovery of graphene, the material continues to provide a unique platform for observing universal physical laws that remain hidden in more traditional substances due to impurities and atomic defects.