Light, in its basic photon form, has been manipulated by scientists to behave like a solid. As a result, this expands the possibility of transforming other elements too and accelerates physics to a new level. Researchers have, for the first time in history, been able to turn light into a so-called “supersolid”, a substance so unnatural that even scientists describe it as alien material.
A milestone in physics: A supersolid has been created from light
The idea of light becoming a supersolid is not easy to process. An unorthodox state of matter has been created by researchers, setting new milestones in the world of physics. Normally, light behaves as a wave or photons that cannot be physically contained. However, scientists have found a way to coax photons into a solid under extremely controlled conditions, where light can display solid-like characteristics.
This evolution didn’t happen by accident or even overnight. A qualified group of scientists banded together and came up with an experiment that changed the entire composition of light. A considerable amount of research, time, and effort was put into this experiment until they achieved their goal.
What scientists did was influence photons to interact with atoms so intensely that they began acting as if they had a mass, ultimately forming a supersolid. A supersolid is a crossover between a solid and a superfluid. A solid has a crystallized structure, which is inflexible, and a superfluid is a liquid-like substance that flows freely without friction. The supersolid form is a unique state that exhibits properties of both a rigid structure and wave-like flow.
Simply stated, this means that a supersolid can be compared to a block of ice that doesn’t melt or lose its shape.
How did scientists manage to manipulate light into “mass”?
The experiment required far more than trapping light within a container and hoping that it would work out. It involved handling atoms and photons in extremely cold temperatures in a highly controlled environment. By using a semiconductor structure and precise lasers, they managed to create a unique particle known as a polariton. This particle represents parts of light and matter, resulting in a state that’s simultaneously solid and fluid, hence the term supersolid.
This unusual state of matter opens up new doors of research in quantum physics and could be a huge contributing factor in the advances in technology.
What is the significance of discovering this “supersolid” light phenomenon?
Most people have been brought up to believe that there are only a small number of categories that matter can fit into, namely solids, liquids, gases, and plasma. But this experiment has revealed more truth about the subject, and that there might be more states of matter that are yet to be uncovered. It is too early to speculate, but whatever is to come, this discovery changes the perspective of possibilities and impossibilities.
Either way, a logical summary can be made that if light can be shaped to follow structural rules, then the possibilities of reshaping quantum behaviour become broad.
The perfect conditions to transform light into a solid are hard to meet
However, turning light into a supersolid requires extremely controlled conditions that need to be met. For one, it needs to be in an environment where very strong light-matter interactions can take place, which is difficult, but… on the other it helps scientists differentiate between quantum behavior and classical physics. This could improve medical devices that can detect illnesses earlier and far more accurately.
Something once thought of as untouchable (light) has now joined one of the states of matter as a supersolid. This does not mean that teleporting is around the corner, but it’s not a ruled-out possibility. If one thing’s for sure, it is that physics and its laws are unpredictable, yet they lead the way for growth in the technological and scientific industries.