Franken-Physics: Atoms Split in Two & Put Back Together
Jesse Emspak, LiveScience Contributor
Date: 13 June 2012 Time: 11:13 AM ET
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A team of scientists was able to "split" an atom into its
two possible spin states, up and down, and measure the difference
between them even after the atom resumed the properties of a single
state. CREDIT: University of Bonn |
Physicists have just upped their ante: Not only have they split atoms but, even trickier, they've put them back together.
Their secret? Quantum physics. A team of scientists was able to "split" an atom into its two possible spin states, up and down, and measure the difference between them even after the atom resumed the properties of a single state.
The research wasn't just playtime for quantum physicists:
It could be a steppingstone toward the development of a quantum
computer, a way to simulate quantum systems (as plant photosynthesis and
other natural processes appear to be) that would help solve complex
problems far more efficiently than present-day computers can.
MORE: http://www.livescience.com/20926-quantum-physics-atoms-split.html
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