Researchers have made significant advancements in understanding quantum liquids by discovering that heating these liquids can lead to the formation of supersolid structures, which possess both solid and superfluid characteristics simultaneously. This breakthrough stems from a collaboration between experimental and theoretical teams led by Francesca Ferlaino in Austria and Thomas Pohl in Denmark. Their work, published in Nature Communications, presents the first phase diagram illustrating the emergence of supersolid states as a function of temperature.
In earlier studies, Ferlaino’s group observed an unexpected relationship between temperature and the formation of supersolid structures within a dipolar gas of dysprosium atoms. They found that increasing temperature promotes this formation, a finding that challenged existing theories that largely overlooked thermal fluctuations. By teaming up with Pohl’s theoretical group, they developed a model explaining these observations, demonstrating that heating the quantum liquid eases the process of forming quantum crystals.
The resulting phase diagram offers a new perspective on supersolids and underscores the role of dipole-dipole interactions among dysprosium atoms. This research represents a crucial step in exploring this novel state of matter, with funding from various scientific institutions.
