Famously, at the quantum scale, particles can be in multiple possible locations at once. A particle’s state spreads out like a wave, peaking where the particle is likely to be found. When you measure its position, this spread-out state, known as a wave function, transforms into a single definite location.
The full shape of the wave function long evaded detection, since trying to measure it will destroy it. But in the 1980s, physicists began developing methods to measure and control the wave functions of simple systems — advances that have since formed the foundation of quantum computing. And in the last few years, a new approach is enabling physicists to go further and learn about the wave functions of entire materials.
“We are in the second quantum revolution,” said Riccardo Comin (opens a new tab), an experimental physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who is one of the leaders of this work. “Now, we have the tools to really explore the wave function of quantum particles.”
The new framework describes a wave function as an object moving around a hidden landscape — a space referred to as the material’s “quantum geometry.” The hills and valleys of this invisible world dictate how the wave function of a given material can change, and what states the material can be found in.
“You can get a lot of insight into what’s happening in quantum materials, and that may speed up the discovery of new phenomena,” said Marc Bockrath (opens a new tab), a physicist at Ohio State University who has also led the charge on quantum geometry.
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