Scientists Successfully Freeze Light, Turning It into a Solid – Here’s How

Italian scientists have made a significant discovery by effectively "frozen" light, proving that it can behave like a supersolid, a rare form of matter that possesses both frictionless flow and a solid-like structure. 

The discovery, which was just published in "Nature," is a major turning point in quantum physics and has the potential to transform future uses of optical and quantum computing technology.

What is Supersolid?

An exotic phase of matter that has both the stiffness of a solid and the fluidity of a superfluid is called a supersolid. Only Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), a state of matter created when a collection of bosons is cooled to almost absolute zero, causing them to occupy the same quantum state, have up till now shown supersolidity.

But now, a group led by Davide Nigro from the University of Pavia and Antonio Gianfate from CNR Nanotec has shown that light itself may display this odd behavior.

How did the scientists "frozen" the light?

The researchers created a supersolid state in light using quantum techniques rather than the conventional freezing method, which involves reducing the temperature to change a liquid into a solid. In order to control photons in a way akin to that of electrons in conductors, they employed a semiconductor platform.

In order to create hybrid light-matter particles called polaritons, the scientists used a laser to create a gallium arsenide lattice embedded with nanoscale ridges.

The scientists noticed the development of satellite condensates, a sign of supersolidity, as the photon count rose. These condensates formed a distinct spatial structure that verified the existence of a supersolid state because they had opposite wavenumbers but the same energy.

"Quantum effects appear at temperatures close to absolute zero," the researchers said. "Our understanding of supersolidity in light is only getting started."

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Consequences of this finding

The ramifications of this discovery for quantum technologies are extensive. The development of more stable quantum bits (qubits), which are critical for the development of quantum computing, may be greatly aided by supersolid light.

This kind of light manipulation has the potential to transform not only computing but also photonic circuits, optical devices, and even basic quantum mechanics research. Researchers hope that these methods will be improved in the future, allowing for more stable and regulated supersolid light formations.