{"id":3576,"date":"2025-05-06T08:14:20","date_gmt":"2025-05-06T08:14:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/?p=3576"},"modified":"2025-05-06T14:06:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-06T14:06:38","slug":"light-turns-solid-italian-breakthrough-in-quantum-physics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/light-turns-solid-italian-breakthrough-in-quantum-physics\/","title":{"rendered":"Light turns solid: Italian breakthrough in quantum physics"},"content":{"rendered":"<iframe loading=\"lazy\"\n        src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nEsb4v8D8SY?rel=0\"\n        width=\"100%\"\n        height=\"100%\"\n        srcdoc=\"<style data-src=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nEsb4v8D8SY?rel=0 class=lazyload src='\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/play-default-button.svg'>*{padding:0;margin:0;overflow:hidden}html,body{height:100%}img,span{position:absolute;width:100%;top:0;bottom:0;margin:auto}span{height:1.5em;text-align:center;font:48px\/1.5 sans-serif;color:white;text-shadow:0 0 0.5em black}<\/style><a href=https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/nEsb4v8D8SY?autoplay=1&rel=0><img alt='Video image' src=https:\/\/img.youtube.com\/vi\/nEsb4v8D8SY\/maxresdefault.jpg><span><img class='play-button' src='\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/play-default-button.svg' width='60' height='60' style='width:60px; transform:translateX(-30px);'><\/span><\/a>\"\n        frameborder=\"0\"\n        allow=\"accelerometer; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\"\n        loading=\"lazy\"\n        class=\"_iub_cs_activate _iub_cs_activate-activated\"\n        data-iub-purposes=\"3\"\n        async=\"false\"\n      ><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>In a major advancement in the field of quantum physics, a team of researchers from Italy\u2019s <strong>National Research Council (CNR)<\/strong> has successfully achieved something unprecedented: transforming <strong>light into a supersolid<\/strong>, a rare and exotic state of matter. This breakthrough opens new avenues for understanding the behavior of matter under extreme conditions and developing innovative quantum technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have effectively transformed light into a solid. It\u2019s truly extraordinary,\u201d said <strong>Dimitrios Trypogeorgos<\/strong>, one of the lead researchers behind the discovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The work builds upon research initiated over a decade ago by <strong>Danielle Sanvitto<\/strong>, also from the CNR, who had previously demonstrated that light could behave like a fluid. Today, this line of research has reached a new milestone with the <strong>creation of a quantum supersolid<\/strong> made from light.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>What is a supersolid?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A <strong>supersolid<\/strong> is a highly unusual quantum state of matter that exhibits a combination of seemingly contradictory properties: it maintains the ordered, rigid structure of a solid while flowing without resistance like a <strong>superfluid<\/strong>. In other words, it behaves as a <strong>crystalline structure that can also move freely<\/strong>, a property that defies classical physical intuition. These materials exist solely under quantum conditions and, until now, had only been observed in carefully controlled experiments with <strong>ultracold atoms<\/strong> near absolute zero.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A Novel Approach: Light Instead of Atoms<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What makes the Italian experiment groundbreaking is its novel methodology. Instead of using ultracold atoms, the team employed a <strong>semiconductor composed of gallium and aluminum arsenide<\/strong>, engineered with nanoscale ridges. A <strong>laser beam<\/strong> was directed onto this structured material, giving rise to hybrid particles known as <strong>polaritons<\/strong>, which emerge from the interaction between photons (light) and excitations within the semiconductor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The ridge-patterned structure played a critical role by restricting the motion of the polaritons and defining their energy levels, ultimately enabling them to self-organize into a <strong>supersolid state<\/strong>. This achievement marks the <strong>first time a supersolid state has been created using light<\/strong> rather than traditional matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Experimental confirmation and technical challenges<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Confirming the nature of this new state of matter was no simple task. The researchers needed to <strong>precisely measure multiple physical properties<\/strong> of the system to verify that it simultaneously exhibited <strong>solid-like structural order<\/strong> and <strong>superfluid-like behavior<\/strong>, specifically the <strong>absence of viscosity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cA supersolid made of light had never been experimentally realized or validated before,\u201d said <strong>Sanvitto<\/strong>, emphasizing the complexity and novelty of their findings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Recognition from the Scientific Community<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The significance of the discovery has also been acknowledged by the international scientific community. <strong>Alberto Bramati<\/strong> from Sorbonne University in France highlighted that this experiment contributes to a <strong>deeper understanding of quantum phase transitions<\/strong>, phenomena where matter changes state in non-traditional ways. However, he noted that <strong>further measurements and analysis<\/strong> are still required to fully understand the properties and implications of this new material.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Future Prospects and Applications<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to Trypogeorgos, supersolids based on light could offer <strong>greater experimental accessibility and control<\/strong> compared to those created from ultracold atoms. This makes them ideal candidates for <strong>further exploration of exotic quantum states<\/strong>, with promising potential applications in <strong>quantum computing<\/strong>, <strong>advanced sensing<\/strong>, and the development of <strong>materials with novel quantum properties<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:50px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>A New Chapter in Condensed Matter Physics<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The realization of a supersolid made of light marks the beginning of <strong>a new chapter in quantum physics<\/strong>. It not only showcases the ingenuity of Italian researchers but also opens a frontier full of unanswered questions. With much still to explore, the light-based supersolid stands as a fertile ground for future discoveries and, possibly, <strong>transformative technological advancements<\/strong> in the years ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In a major advancement in the field of quantum physics, a team of researchers from Italy\u2019s National Research Council (CNR) has successfully achieved something unprecedented: transforming light into a supersolid,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":3574,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[84],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3576","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technologies"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3576","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3576"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3576\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3583,"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3576\/revisions\/3583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3574"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3576"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3576"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stage.intnews.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3576"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}