Scientists Discover Quantum Spin Liquids, a Never-Before-Observed State of Matter

 

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For decades, scientists have speculated about an exotic and completely new form of matter known as a quantum spin liquid, which has now been observed in a laboratory for the first time.

At low temperatures, the 'liquid' aspect refers to electrons that are continually altering and oscillating inside a magnetic substance. Unlike normal magnets, the electrons in this circumstance do not solidify or settle into a solid's organized lattice as they cool.

The angular momentum (up or down) carried by particles entangled in pairs with opposing spins is referred to as 'quantum spin.' It's believed that now that the state has been observed for the first time, the finding will help speed up the creation of quantum computers.

Quantum physicist Mikhail Lukin of Harvard University in Massachusetts says, "It is a very special time in the field." "You can really poke, prod, and poke at this unusual condition to understand its properties... it's a novel state of matter that no one has ever seen."

Magnetism is generated by electrons whose spins are oriented in the same direction, either up or down, in ordinary magnets.

A third electron is introduced in quantum spin liquids, and while two opposing spins will stabilize each other, the spin from the third electron throws the balance off. It results in a 'frustrated' magnet, in which the spins are unable to all stabilize in the same direction.

The scientists used a programmable quantum simulator constructed in 2017 to create their own frustrated lattice arrangement. The simulator use a quantum computer programme to hold atoms in bespoke forms created by lasers, such as squares, triangles, and honeycombs, and may be used to construct various quantum interactions and processes.

The simulator uses tightly focused laser beams to individually arrange atoms, and by arranging rubidium atoms in a triangle-patterned lattice, the researchers were able to create a frustrated magnet with quantum entanglement properties – where changes in one entangled atom are matched in a second entangled atom.

The links between the atoms confirmed the existence of a quantum spin liquid.

"You can move the atoms as far apart as you want; you can modify the frequency of the laser light; you can actually change the parameters of nature in a manner that you couldn't in the material where these things were investigated previously," explains Harvard University quantum physicist Subir Sachdev.

"You can examine each atom and see what it's doing here."

Quantum computers are made up of quantum bits, or qubits, and quantum spin liquids are intended to aid in the creation of topological qubits, which are more resistant to outside noise and interference.

The Research is Originally Published Here.