Physicists created a pot for quantum popcorn: a cloud of rubidium atoms, cooled to a single quantum state — colder than space. The cesium atoms tossed in, like kernels, 'popped' from internal energy upon collision. Swapping spin — a magnetic moment — released it, like steam in a kernel. Thus the cesium accelerated, bypassing the usual rise in disorder.

This quantum 'motor' operates under the rules of microthermodynamics, where particles exist in multiple states at once and exhibit duality — ideas from Einstein, Boltzmann, and Schrödinger.

Surprise: though the 'pot' is icy, the kernel-atoms jostle as if in boiling oil. Gradually the motion quiets — quantum forgetfulness sets in, but hypersensitive instruments captured every leap. In the future, such jumps could be harnessed for atom-based electronics.