Bhubaneswar: In a groundbreaking achievement, physicists have transformed light into a supersolid.
The existence of the supersolid phase of matter was speculated more than 50 years ago. However, only recently has there been convincing experimental evidence, when physicists proved so mainly using ultracold atomic Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs) coupled to electromagnetic fields.
What is supersolid: It is a quantum state of matter that combines the properties of solids and liquids, means a matter with constituent particles arranged into a crystalline structure, yet they are free to flow without friction.
This breakthrough has been achieved by scientists at the National Research Council (CNR) in Italy. Scientific community hail this as this could pave the way for new quantum and photonic technologies.
Supersolids have previously only ever been made out of atoms, but the team led by scientists at the National Research Council (CNR) in Italy has now created one using photons for the first time.
HOW SUPERSOLID CREATED?
As mentioned above, Supersolids, once theorized, possess a crystalline structure like a regular solid, yet they can flow freely like a fluid without friction.
To create this unique state, the researchers coupled photons (fundamental particle of light) from a laser and beamed on to a semiconductor made of gallium arsenide.
The photons interacted with excitations in the material to create quasiparticles called polaritons.
The gallium arsenide (known for emiting or absorbing light) had a particular structure designed to manipulate the photons into three different quantum states.
Initially, photons settled into a state with zero momentum, but as this state filled up, pairs of photons spilled into two adjacent states, causing polaritons to condense into what the team calls a bound state in the continuum (BiC).
Constraining polaritons to each state within the semiconductor is what gives them the spatial structure of a solid, while their natural ability to flow without friction made them a superfluid. The combination of both properties resulted in a supersolid.
SCIENTISTS GIVE EVIDENCE
To confirm the creation of a supersolid, the team examined telltale signs.
It has mapped the photon density that revealed two towering peaks with a chasm in the center, overlaid with a pattern of modulation indicating broken translational symmetry - a key characteristic of supersolids.
Interferometry measurements confirmed that the system was locally coherent in each state component and globally across the entire system, further supporting the creation of a supersolid.
This research titled "Emerging supersolidity in photonic-crystal polariton condensates" published in Nature, represents an entirely new way to create this strange state of matter.
HOW RELEVANT TO COMMON MAN?
The team told Lancent that this is particularly significant because this approach has the potential to bridge the gap between fundamental science and practical applications – means they can put the successful experiment to practical use.
The team believes this photonic supersolid creation will allow them to probe the physical properties of this state in new ways, potentially leading to practical applications in light-emitting devices (LEDs).
