Strontium has two valence electrons, which really changes the game. "In the lowest energy state they spin in opposite directions and pair up very nicely," said Killian.

It’s a helpful rule of thumb: Main group elements prefer forming bonds that give them eight valence electrons; transition metals go for 18 electrons. Now scientists have shown that main group ...

Although ytterbium is not an alkaline-earth element, ytterbium atoms also have two valence electrons and have properties and an energy-level structure that are similar to those of strontium atoms ...

A number of elements have since been used to make BECs, most of them alkali-metal atoms, which have one valence electron. The number of valence electrons, which spin in the outer shell of an atom ...

Their measurements revealed that electrons in strontium ruthenate flow in a preferred direction unexpected from the crystal lattice structure. view more . Credit: Brookhaven National Laboratory.

The strontium ruthenate crystal has fourfold rotational symmetry like a square, meaning that it looks identical when turned by 90 degrees (four times to equal a complete 360-degree rotation).

The latest research, published in Physical Review Letters, involves an attempt to calculate the distribution, energy, and motion of electrons in the vicinity of the interface.