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.