A team of researchers from the Technion Faculty of Physics has achieved a major breakthrough in the field of quantum physics. Using the phenomenon of quantum tunneling, the researchers were able to successfully transfer atoms between two points. So, how does this research benefit the world of technology? Details in our news…
Researchers used quantum tunneling to move atoms from one point to another using optical tweezers
First of all, quantum tunneling allows a particle to cross an energy barrier that it cannot cross according to the rules of classical physics. This can be likened to the extraordinary situation of a soccer ball neither breaking through nor passing over a wall. Using this principle, the researchers were able to move atoms from one point to another with the help of optical tweezers.
Optical tweezers technology is a method developed by physicist Arthur Ashkin in the 1980s that allows the manipulation of microscopic objects, even cells and molecules, using laser beams. In this study, the researchers arranged three optical tweezers in series to move fermionic atoms cooled to near absolute zero temperatures through the setup.
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By varying the distance between the tweezers, the team controlled the tunneling speed of the atoms and successfully transferred them between the two outer tweezers. “We observed a seamless and efficient transfer of atoms from one point to another, with very few atoms remaining in the middle tweezer,” the researchers said.
The most remarkable aspect of the experiment was that the atoms did not stop in the middle tweezers. This was explained by the interference of wave functions describing the behavior of the atoms. The overlapping of the wave functions destroyed interference in the middle tweezers and strengthened it in the outer tweezers, allowing atoms to move efficiently between the outer points.
The study is also said to show that optical tweezers can be used as an experimental platform in quantum physics. In short, this could open the door to the development of next-generation devices such as precision quantum computers and sensors. We may even see more powerful and faster processor technologies in the future.
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