Quantum Physics: Altered States
Abstract
Stand by for a new state of matter —
according to some predictions, it
could be created in the next few
months. In a handful of laboratories
around the world, physicists are trying to
persuade antisocial atoms to pair up to
form a new type of ‘superatom’.
If they succeed, their creations will have
more than curiosity value.The state — called
a fermion condensate — would be perfect for
testing theories of quantum mechanics, and
could even lead to new ways of computing.