In a remarkable scientific milestone, a team of Italian researchers has successfully frozen light and demonstrated its ability to exhibit supersolid behavior—a feat that redefines our understanding of quantum physics. Their findings, published in Nature under the title "A Supersolid Made Using Photons," mark a significant advancement in the study of light and matter.
What is a Supersolid?
A supersolid is a unique phase of matter that combines two seemingly contradictory properties: the fluid, frictionless motion of superfluids and the rigid structure of solids. Until now, supersolids had only been observed in Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs)—a state of matter achieved when atoms or subatomic particles are cooled to temperatures near absolute zero.
How Was Light ‘Frozen’?
Normally, when a liquid transitions into a solid, its molecules slow down and arrange themselves into a structured pattern. In this groundbreaking experiment, scientists applied a similar principle to light, working at temperatures close to absolute zero, where quantum effects take over.
Absolute zero, 0 Kelvin (-273.15°C or -459.67°F), is the lowest theoretical temperature, where molecular motion nearly ceases. While reaching absolute zero is impossible, researchers can create laboratory conditions that come extraordinarily close.
The experiment relied on the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) principle, where particles behave as a unified entity under extreme cooling. When an excess of photons (particles of light) was introduced, they exhibited an unexpected behavior—self-organizing into distinct patterns characteristic of a supersolid state.
“These photons form satellite condensates that possess opposite nonzero wave numbers but remain isoenergetic (having the same energy),” the researchers explained in their study.
Why Does This Matter?
The ability to freeze light and induce supersolid behavior has far-reaching implications for the future of quantum technology. One of the most exciting prospects is in quantum computing, where supersolid light could increase the stability of qubits, the fundamental units of quantum computation.
Beyond computing, this breakthrough paves the way for advancements in:
• Optical devices and photonic circuits
• Precision measurement technologies
• Secure quantum communication
• New materials science applications
By successfully manipulating light in this novel way, scientists have unlocked a new frontier in quantum mechanics, with potential applications that could transform multiple fields of technology and research.
As the study concludes: “The supersolid state emerges, and a spatial modulation in the density of photons in the system occurs that is characteristic of the supersolid state.”
This discovery not only expands our understanding of light but also offers new possibilities for the future of quantum physics.