Chemical reactions are like a dance between atoms and molecules. As the dancers bounce into each other, they may react to form new combinations, or they may not. The whole process is incredibly complex and unpredictable, with many possible outcomes.
One way to simplify this dance would be to place the reactants into a single, combined quantum state. Under these circumstances, all the reacting atoms or molecules would behave similarly – more like a line dance, less like a mosh pit – and the reaction would proceed at an accelerated rate. This quantum-assisted speed-up is known as quantum superchemistry, and theorists have long predicted that it should be possible.
Researchers at the University of Chicago, US, have now spotted the first experimental evidence of quantum superchemistry in a gas of caesium molecules. The result paves the way for a deeper understanding of chemistry and an enhanced degree of control over chemical reactions.
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