The atoms are polarized by the beam of light and start to attract each other. Credit: Harald Ritsch / TU Wien
Atoms may be made to attract one another using light.
Theoretically, this effect has been predicted for a very long time. However, the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology (VCQ) at Vienna University of Technology, in collaboration with the University of Innsbruck, has now measured this exotic atomic bond for the first time. This interaction can be used to manipulate atoms that are incredibly cold, and the effect may also have a role in how molecules form in space. The findings were recently published in Physical Review X.
A positive and negative charge
A positively charged atomic nucleus is surrounded by negatively charged electrons in an electrically neutral DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.12.031018
