A Surprisingly Sharp Transition (IMAGE) DOE/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory Caption An illustration shows how the normal state of a superconducting cuprate abruptly changes when the density of free-flowing electrons is tweaked in a process known as doping. Particle-like excitations that are characteristic of a conventional metal (right) disappear as the 'strange metallic' state (left) takes over. Credit (Greg Stewart/SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory) Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.