Researchers at McGill University have created a new device that produces phonons, which are particles associated with sound, under extremely cold conditions. The work could help pave the way for phonon lasers, a technology with potential uses in communication systems and medical diagnostics.
“Modern communication is largely based on light, including electromagnetic waves and electrical currents. In a medium such as oceans, sound can travel, whereas light and electrical currents cannot,” said Michael Hilke, Associate Professor of Physics and study co-author. “In the human body, sound waves can also be a useful tool.”
The device was developed and studied at McGill University and the National Research Council of Canada, while the material used in the work was produced at Princeton University.
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