Interfering Atoms

Matter may appear solid to humans, but atoms that make up matter seem to behave more like waves. Now physicists have learned how to make the wave-like properties of atoms interfere with each other (above)—a new technique that could be useful in quantum computing.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) team used ultra-cold rubidium atoms and special lasers to make the atoms’ wave patterns interfere with one another.

The results echo a famous experiment where light shined on a series of thin slits produces a curious effect: Waves of light “cancel out” one another and produce a different number of slits on the side the light shines through.

--LiveScience Staff

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Credit: NIST