University of Washington researchers have detected the mechanical vibration between two layers of atoms (the atoms’ breaths) by observing the type of light those atoms emitted when stimulated by a laser. 

This is according to a press release published by the institution on Friday.

This new development could lead to a new method for quantum computing. In fact, the researchers have already engineered a device that could serve as a new type of building block for quantum technologies.

"This is a new, atomic-scale platform, using what the scientific community calls 'optomechanics,' in which light and mechanical motions are intrinsically coupled together," said senior author Mo Li, a UW professor of both electrical and computer engineering and physics. 

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