New horizons in semimetal alloys

A small number of free carriers, a small cyclotron mass, a very high mobility at superconducting temperatures-these are among the properties that make bismuth, along with its alloys, the subject of intensive research efforts. The ``cleanness'' of these materials, for example, makes them ideal for new kinds of plasma experiments in solids. Results so far could be described as intriguing to the scientist and promising to the engineer.