New evidence that weird quantum supersolid exists

[n2doc]

19:00 18 November 2010 by Kate McAlpine

The first supersolid – a ghostly, quantum form of matter in which a solid flows, frictionless, through itself – was reportedly made in 2004. But a debate has raged ever since over whether the researchers involved had simply misinterpreted their results. Now two new studies suggest that genuine supersolids have been made after all.

According to quantum theory, supersolidity should kick in at very low temperatures. In a solid, atoms are bound together in a regular lattice, keeping their structure rigid under normal circumstances. But if you cool some solids close to absolute zero, they should become frictionless, flowing supersolids, while retaining their lattice structure.

In the original experiment, Eunseong Kim – now of the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology in Daejeon, South Korea – and Moses Chan of Pennsylvania State University in University Park cooled and pressurised liquid helium until the atoms were forced into a crystal lattice.

They then made a cylinder filled with this solid helium spin one way and then the other, over and over again. As they cooled it, the cylinder switched direction more frequently.

more

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19748-new-evidence-that-weird-quantum-supersolid-exists.html

[Ian David]

1. I welcome our new, supersolid overlords. n/t

[sakabatou]

2. I wonder what the applications for them would be

[Ikonoklast]

4. You don't want to know.

[truedelphi]

3. I have some of that right here on my

Thighs.

At least now I know how to fix the blame for this on solid helium (Who'd have thunk?)

[kestrel91316]

5. Theoretical physics always did give me migraines.......

[silverweb]

6. More delicious quantum weirdness.

I love it! :D

On edit: I know I'm going to get blasted here for indulging my imagination and summoning up The Woo, but... isn't it true that many if not most ghost stories involve blasts of freezing cold?

Hell, we don't even know how many dimensions there are or what they might be like, and now there's empiric evidence of this 4th state of matter that passes frictionless through itself.

My musings on this are probably best mentioned in the forum most suited to discussions of The Woo, but there really is more and more evidence coming out that there is some overlap between real science and what we now call the paranormal. What an adventure!