Scientists prove the existence of new form of matter

Existence of Excitonium - which was first theorized almost 50 years ago, has been proved by scientists

This has been done by studying non-doped crystals of a transition metal- dichalcogenide titanium diselenide (1T-TiSe2)

About Excitonium

Excitonium exhibits macroscopic quantum phenomena, like a superconductor

It is made up of excitons, particles that are formed in a very strange quantum mechanical pairing

How is exciton formed?

• When an electron, seated at the edge of the crowded-with-electrons valence band in a semiconductor, gets excited and jumps over the energy gap to the otherwise empty conduction band, it leaves behind a "hole" in the valence band
• That hole behaves as though it were a particle with positive charge, and it attracts the escaped electron
• When the escaped electron with its negative charge, pairs up with the hole, the two remarkably form a composite particle, a boson - an exciton

The National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) is a methodology adopted by the Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD), Government of India, to rank institutions of higher education in India. The Framework was approved by the MHRD and launched by Minister of Human Resource Development.

1, 2, 3 and 5 only

Pair 1 is correctly matched. Mutualism is the interaction in which both the interacting species benefit, for example, the association between fungi and the roots of higher plants. The fungi help the plant in the absorption of essential nutrients from the soil while the plant in turn provides the fungi with energy-yielding carbohydrates.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched. Commensalism is the interaction among species in which one species benefits and the other is neither harmed nor benefited, for example, an orchid growing as an epiphyte on a mango branch. In this interaction while orchid benefits, the mango tree remains unaffected.

Pair 3 is correctly matched. Competition is the interaction in which species compete with each other to utilize the limited available resource. In this interaction both the species lose as they try to outdo each other, for example, the herbivores animals compete with each other to access limited grazing resources.

Pair 4 is incorrectly matched. Amensalism is the interaction in which one species is harmed while the other is unaffected, for example, some higher plants like black walnut secrete substances that inhibit the growth of or kill the nearby competing plants. This pair is not correctly matched.

The Peninsular plateau is a tableland composed of the old crystalline, igneous and metamorphic rocks. It was formed due to the breaking and drifting of the Gondwana land and thus, making it a part of the oldest landmass. The Deccan Plateau is a triangular landmass that lies to the south of the river Narmada. The Satpura range flanks its broad base in the north while the Mahadev, the Kaimur hills and the Maikal range from its eastern extensions. Locate these hills and ranges in the physical map of India. The Deccan Plateau is higher in the west and slopes gently eastwards. An extension of the Plateau is also visible in the northeast- locally known as the Meghalaya, Karbi-Anglong Plateau and North Cachar Hills. It is separated by a fault from the Chotanagpur Plateau. Three Prominent hill ranges from the west to east are the Garo, the Khasi and the Jaintia Hills.