Menu

Blog

May 3, 2024

MIT physicists achieve record-breaking proximity of atoms

Posted by in categories: particle physics, quantum physics

The experiment confirmed their suspicions. By supercooling the dysprosium atoms, splitting them into spin-based layers with the lasers, and stabilizing the lasers with the optical fiber, they successfully achieved a 50-nanometer separation – the closest arrangement ever achieved in ultracold atom experiments.

This dramatic proximity significantly amplified the natural magnetic interactions between the atoms, making them a thousand times stronger than at 500 nanometers. The team observed two fascinating quantum phenomena: collective oscillation, where vibrations in one layer triggered synchronized vibrations in the other, and thermalization, where heat transfer occurred between the layers solely through fluctuating magnetic fields within the atoms.

Leave a reply