For the first time, researchers have transformed light into a “‘Supersolid”, a strange state of matter that is solid and liquid at the same time.
Although scientists have made supersolids with atoms before, this is the first instance of attaching light and subject to create a supersolid and opens new doors to study condensed physics, explained in an article published on March 5 in the magazine in the magazine Science.
But what exactly is a supersolid and why this new development is so exciting? Here is everything you need to know.
What is a supersolid?
Supersolids are strange state of matter defined by Quantum mechanics where the particles condense in an orderly and crystalline solid but also move as a liquid that has no viscosity. (Viscosity refers to the internal friction of a substance, which governs how gently flows). In general, solids do not move on their own, but supersolids change direction and density depending on particle interactions while maintaining an organized network structure.
Why are supersolids so cold?
Supersolides require extremely low temperatures to form, usually very close to Zero Absolute (less 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit, or less 273.15 degrees Celsius). Most of the particles have to occupy the lowest available energy state, and heat causes particles to jump up and down as excitable children in a ball well.
If a material is cold enough, the temperature no longer obscures how the particles interact with each other. On the other hand, the small effects of quantum mechanics become the defining factors in the way the material behaves.
Imagine that young children have gone home and the ball well has settled in a quiet state. Now we can study in peace how the individual components of the ball well interact with each other to define their characteristics.
Related: 32 Physics experiments that changed the world
How can a fluid have viscosity?
Viscosity is a measure of the ease with which a fluid changes its shape. A fluid with a greater viscosity tends to adhere more and, therefore, resist the movement, as the syrup moves slower when it is poured from a container compared to the way it comes out of water from a tap. All fluids, except superfluous and supersolids, have some viscosity.
The best known example of a fluid without viscosity is helium cooled to temperatures within a few degrees of absolute zero. The particles are not completely still at absolute zero; – They move a little due to The uncertainty principle. In the case of the Isotope of Helio-4, they move a lot, enough to make it impossible for a sample of Helio-4 to become solid to absolute zero, unless there is a pressure of 25 atmospheres applied to really apply the particles.
The helium-4 wire to absolute zero and other quantum phenomena cause some drastic changes in the way the fluid acts. Stop having friction (and, therefore, has no viscosity) and can quickly deviate from containers, among other things.
How can we turn light into a solid?
Supersolids have been atomic gases before. However, new research used a novel mechanism that is based on the properties of “polariton” systems.
Polaritons are formed by coupling photons (light) and quasiparticles such as excitons through strong electromagnetic interactions. Their properties allow them to condense the lowest possible energy as possible to some atomic gases. In other words, the light is combined with matter, and together, they can condense in a supersolid.
Why are Supersolids useful?
Supersolids are important to study because they show the effects of small and quantum interactions between the particles without temperature on the road. When we draw the behavior and characteristics of supersolids, we are really seeing how atoms and particles come together. This teaches us about the world in which we live on a fundamental level.
With more research and development, supersolides could be used to Quantum computing, Superconductorsfrictionless lubricants and applications that we have not yet begun to think. There are so many possibilities that we still have to discover, and making a supersolid out of light is a great step forward.
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