Watching Quantum Physics With The Naked Eye

A group of researchers at Cambridge University have developed a semiconducting chip that puts electrons into a particular quantum state that causes them to emit light. This breakthrough could pave the way for a new class of devices, including quantum circuits.

Within the chip, the electrons were condensed into a quantum fluid, which were then excited to mix with photons in a state called a polariton. As the polariton fluid flowed, it reached about the width of a human hair – emitting light bright enough to see without equipment. As a result of the fluid state, electrons roamed as freely as they do within a superconductor.

When the polariton flow was excited with two laser beams, the quantum fluid began to oscillate backwards and forwards in ways predicted by quantum mechanics. The difference, however, is that these mechanics were large enough to be seen with the human eye.

(Source: forbes.com)