Scientists have turned light into a supersolid for the first time, a rare state of matter which may improve quantum computing.
A supersolid has a rigid structure like a solid but flows without resistance like a superfluid. Previously, it had only been seen in extremely cold atomic gases. Creating one with light challenges existing ideas about matter and energy.
The research team, led by Dimitris Trypogeorgos and Daniele Sanvitto, used a laser to interact with a special gallium arsenide structure, forming polaritons—particles that exhibited supersolid behavior.
This breakthrough may improve quantum computing by providing a more stable platform for qubits and could lead to faster, more efficient photonic devices and open new possibilities for studying extreme quantum conditions.
The team aims to refine their technique, better control these supersolid light formations, and explore their potential for future quantum technologies.
This discovery, published in Nature, could advance quantum mechanics, photonics, and materials science.
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