Quantum breakthrough: Chinese scientists settle 20-year physics debate with new simulator
- USTC researchers use powerful quantum simulator relying on high-quality gas to visualise phenomenon that could uncover superconductor mechanisms
- Platform holds promise for future quantum simulation research, university says in WeChat post on findings published in Nature
The breakthrough, which resolves a two-decade-old debate in physics, could be a milestone towards the practical use of superconductivity.
The team from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) observed and quantified a phenomenon called a “pairing pseudogap” within a model gas, an “energy gap” possessed by some materials with superfluid or superconductive properties that had previously not been visualised.
The pseudogap could help explain why some materials can lose electrical resistance at high temperatures, which could be key to mastering the practical use of superconductivity.
The feat was made possible after the team developed a quantum simulation system that relied on high-quality gas, along with a measurement system described to have “unprecedented” stability by a peer reviewer.
The team used high-quality unitary fermi gas made from lithium-dysprosium – a model with superfluid properties – to confirm the pairing pseudogap for the first time.