Caltech physicists finally measure a quantum energy ladder predicted 40 years ago
Researchers have experimentally observed energy patterns that physicists have predicted for about 40 years.
Researchers have experimentally observed energy patterns that physicists have predicted for about 40 years.
The short version
- By arranging laser-trapped atoms into a quantum simulator, they recreated two different quantum tipping points and watched the atoms fall into the exact energy ratios predicted by theory.
- The technique could now be used to explore mysterious quantum systems where scientists do not already know the answer.
- When materials undergo major changes, such as water boiling or a magnet losing its magnetism, very different systems can sometimes start behaving according to the same mathematical rules.
What happened
"Physicists call this trait universality -- the messy, microscopic details wash out and only a few essential features survive," explains Jason Alicea, William K. Davis Professor of Theoretical Physics.
Why it matters
Physicists often describe this universal behavior using a mathematical framework known as conformal field theory.
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