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Under the right circumstances, electrons can actually “freeze” into a bizarre solid form. Now, physicists at Berkeley Lab have created and taken the first ever direct images of this structure.

At low temperatures and densities, groups of electrons can crystallize into a solid form known as a Wigner crystal, named after theoretical physicist Eugene Wigner who first predicted their existence in the 1930s. It was only a few years ago that scientists first directly detected and imaged them.

Now, a team has for the first time imaged a new quantum phase of electrons – a related structure called a Wigner molecular crystal. Basically, it’s the same solid electron phase, except that groups of electrons settle in each place on a lattice instead of single electrons.

In a breakthrough, scientists confirmed superfluid properties in supersolids by observing quantized vortices. Using precision techniques, the team stirred a rotating supersolid, revealing unique vortex dynamics and offering new insights into the coexistence of solid and fluid characteristics. This discovery paves the way for studying exotic quantum matter and has implications for astrophysical phenomena.

Supersolids: A Quantum Paradox

Matter that behaves like both a solid and a superfluid at the same time might sound impossible. But more than 50 years ago, physicists predicted that quantum mechanics could allow such a state. In this unique state, collections of particles exhibit properties that seem contradictory. Francesca Ferlaino from the Department of Experimental Physics at the University of Innsbruck and the Institute of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information (IQOQI) at the Austrian Academy of Sciences explains, “It is a bit like Schrödinger’s cat, which is both alive and dead, a supersolid is both rigid and liquid.”

Electrons typically travel at high speeds, zipping through matter unbound. In the 1930s, physicist Eugene Wigner predicted that electrons could be coaxed into stillness at low densities and cold temperatures, forming an electron ice that would later be called the Wigner crystal.

New observations of microscopic vortices confirm the existence of a paradoxical phase of matter that may also arise inside neutron stars.

A black hole formula worked out in the 1970s remains the most concrete clue physicists have about the threads of the space-time fabric.

In a study published in Physical Review Letters, researchers at the Center for Computational Quantum Physics (CCQ) at the Flatiron Institute have revealed that the quantum problem they solved, which involved a specific two-dimensional quantum system of flipping magnets, exhibits a behavior known as confinement. This problem explains why they defeated the quantum computer in its own game. Only one-dimensional systems had previously exhibited this behavior in quantum condensed matter physics.

The researchers revealed earlier this year that they had completely surpassed a quantum computer at a task that some believed could only be completed by quantum computers by using a classical computer and complex mathematical models.

According to lead author Joseph Tindall, a research fellow at the CCQ, this surprising discovery is giving researchers a framework for evaluating novel quantum simulations and aiding in their understanding of the boundary between quantum and classical computers’ capabilities.

There’s just one catch: every atom in your body would be fully disassembled to the quantum level, effectively leaving your original body totally destroyed.

Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden and at the University of Magdeburg in Germany have developed a novel type of nanomechanical resonator that combines two important features: high mechanical quality and piezoelectricity. This development could open doors to new possibilities in quantum sensing technologies.

Dell Technologies expands its computing (HPC) portfolio, offering powerful solutions to help organizations quickly innovate with confidence.

With a range of new offers, Dell delivers technologies and services to help power demanding applications while making HPC capabilities more accessible to businesses.

Dell PowerEdge servers champion advanced modeling and datasets.