Jahn-Teller Metal : The new state of matter

Recently it came in the [news](https://encrypted.google.com/search?q=jahn+teller+matter&source=lnms&tbm=nws&sa=X&ei=y8pWVeziGIPs8AXgz4GAAw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1366&bih=643#tbm=nws&q=jahn+teller+metal) that scientists have discovered a new state of matter called **Jahn-Teller metal**. I tried reading up on it but couldn't understand it clearly.


Please explain in simple terms why this is a new state of matter and/or what's so special about it.




The Jahn-Teller metal is not one of the 3 (or 4 including plasma) states that occur naturally on Earth; this state allows a metal to have the properties of an insulator and a superconductor.


![An electronic phase diagram illustrating the crossover between the Jahn-Teller metal to conventional metals.](https://i.stack.imgur.com/IYDHN.png)


It is an intermediate state of matter confirming the Jahn-Teller distortion; by interacting with certain electrons (a more detailed description can be found in [this Science Advances magazine article](http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/1/3/e1500059/), a distorted crystalline structure allows a solid depicting characteristics of an insulator to also becomes a conductor.


The main breakthrough this brings is having a superconductors. Superconductors are extremely useful because they possess zero resistance, except the conditions require them to be cooled to extreme temperatures.
This state nonetheless suggests reproducing superconductors at a less extreme temperature.


Making it an economic way to make efficient electronics.


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