Subscribe now

Physics

Quantum 'supersolid' matter stirred using magnets

We can’t stir ordinary solids, but one research team now claims to have stirred an extraordinary quantum “supersolid”, generating tiny vortices

By Karmela Padavic-Callaghan

11 April 2024

industrial lasers

Supersolids, created using lasers, have some unusual properties

Chris Rogers/Getty Images

Some solids can be stirred. Researchers have shown that a bizarre quantum state of matter that is both a solid and a frictionless fluid at the same time can be agitated, apparently creating a series of tiny vortices inside the material. The experiment is evidence of the progress being made in understanding the strange properties of so-called “supersolids”.

“I’ve never done, in all my life, such a challenging experiment,” says Francesca Ferlaino at the University of Innsbruck in Austria. In 2022,…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox! We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

View introductory offers

No commitment, cancel anytime*

Offer ends 2nd of July 2024.

*Cancel anytime within 14 days of payment to receive a refund on unserved issues.

Inclusive of applicable taxes (VAT)

or

Existing subscribers

Sign in to your account