Physicists have discovered the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) by creating a one-dimensional gas of photons, the fundamental particles of light. a new state of matter they discovered. While researchers from the University of Bonn and Kaiserslautern-Landau University stated that they created this unique gas by trapping photons in a special container called a microcavity, this experiment; It was noted as one of the important steps taken in understanding how size changes the behavior of matter in quantum systems.

The motion of matter varies greatly depending on the dimensional constraints. With a simple example; a freely moving halay line at a wedding behaves very differently when it is in a confined area. Researchers also investigated how photons behave differently when they go from two dimensions to one dimension. Normally, the transition to the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) state occurs when particles such as photons are cooled, losing their individual properties and creating a common quantum state, but as the dimensions get smaller, this transition becomes more complex.

So what is this ‘micro-cavity’?

Although the term Microcavity is not a term that has a direct Turkish language, it is used in terms of understanding. Can be translated as “micro-cavity” or “micro-pit”. In summary, this term refers to holes or cavities on a microscopic scale where light can resonate or get trapped. This is also the main focus of the experiment.

In the experiment, researchers filled a small container, called a microcavity, with dye solution and trapped photons in this solution using a laser. The reflective walls of the container controlled the movement of the photons by restricting their wave properties. By then creating microscopic protrusions using a transparent polymer, the researchers were able to force the photon gas into a one-dimensional shape. This structure, which restricted the movement of photons, allowed them to study the behavior of the gas.

An important step in understanding the laws of quantum physics

In this experiment, physicist Frank Vewinger from the University of Bonn participated How does the behavior of a one-dimensional gas differ from that of a two-dimensional gas? reported what they had observed. It was observed that the thermal fluctuations that occur in photon gases became much more pronounced and effective in one dimension than in two dimensions. So much so that these fluctuations, in Vewinger’s words, create “big waves” in one dimension.

The experiment also confirmed theoretical predictions about how the Bose-Einstein condensate forms at different sizes. In the future, this experimental setup will be used to further investigate the fundamental behavior of photon gases Understanding how the laws of quantum physics work will be used.

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