Wigner crystallization(where particles with the same electrical charge repel one another to form an ordered structure) has been observed in variety of systems, ranging from particulates the size of sand grains suspended in small clouds of electrons and ions to the dense interiors of planet-sized stars, known as white dwarfs. Professor Alex Bataller of North Carolina State University has recently discovered that Wigner crystallization inside white dwarfs can be studied in the lab using a new class of classical systems, called gravity crystals. This uses gravity as a tool of confinement to extend Wigner crystallization to macroscopic dimensions with particles a million times more massive than its dusty plasma cousin.
William Henry Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, author, philanthropist, and humanitarian. He is best known as the principal founder of Microsoft Corporation.
