Lecture Notes: The two-dimensional electron Wigner crystal -- What's old and what's new?
arXiv:2607.13933
These lecture notes review both classic and recent concepts related to the two‑dimensional electron Wigner crystal, covering its semiclassical description, quantum melting transition, spin ordering, and the influence of Berry curvature.
Abstract
These are lecture notes created for a short lecture series at the 2026 CTEQ Summer School at Penn State. They are written in a conversational and informal style. The goal of these notes is to introduce and review a smattering of old and new ideas about the Wigner crystal (the solid phase of the two-dimensional electron system) in the context of recent experiments. Particular emphasis is given to the semiclassical description of the Wigner crystal, its quantum melting transition, its spin order, and the ways in which the Wigner crystal can be modified by Berry curvature.
27 pages, 12 figures, ~12 jokes. Thanks to Sandeep Joy for proofreading