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Ultracold atoms observed in ‘quantum critical’ state

Atoms cooled to extremely low temperatures have been observed entering a rare state called “quantum criticality”. Physicists hope atoms in this state could be used to simulate many unusual phenomena, including the gravity of black holes and the cosmological conditions at the birth of the universe.

While scientists have extensively investigated quantum criticality in crystals, superconductors and magnetic materials, the new experiment is the first to observe quantum criticality in ultracold atoms trapped in optical lattices.

Read more at University of Chicago

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