Are you one of the authors of this paper? Email us from your institutional or work email address mentioning this article's arXiv ID and we'll verify you and give you edit access to this page.
Disorder in the quantum realm can spawn a fluid that flows without friction.
Abstract
The interplay of disorder, kinetic energy, and repulsion was investigated on a superconducting quantum processor with readout and control of qutrit (three-level) states. Phase identification employed compressibility measurements, which revealed an incompressible Mott insulator and surrounding compressible phases, including signatures of glassy dynamics with non-ergodicity. Spatially resolved two-point correlation measurements allowed the localization of regions with a condensate fraction. The excitation spectrum, obtained via the dynamic structure factor, shows a linearly dispersing phonon mode in the superfluid phase, which arises even when disorder is added to the Mott insulator. The results provide compelling experimental evidence of disorder-induced superfluidity.
Links in the knowledge graph 1
📄 Showing the "Simple" version — "Advanced" is not ready yet. Add it to favorites to help prioritize it.
Quantum particles in a strongly disordered environment behave like dancers executing steps in sync: each knows its own move and never collides with others. This kind of coordinated, frictionless flow—superfluidity—unexpectedly emerged in an experiment on a superconducting quantum chip. Scientists modeled a system where each particle had three 'floors' of energy, and observed their response using a method akin to spectroscopy—analyzing which energies are absorbed, much like light broken into a rainbow.
Amidst strong chaos, a superfluid phase was born, reminiscent of the behavior of helium cooled nearly to absolute zero. Usually the measure of disorder—entropy—only grows, but here quantum chaos gave rise to order. This effect could show up in various materials, from high-temperature superconductors to ultracold atoms. Moreover, it turned out that superfluidity in disorder can be more robust than in perfectly clean systems—as if dirt strengthens the flow.
🎯 In the superfluid 'dance' of particles, sound never fades—it lasts forever, like music without a finale.
