Researchers at NIST and JQI have demonstrated a new method for creating and controlling atomic ions that exhibit a unique property called many-body localization. This phenomenon is counterintuitive to everyday physics, where systems tend to reach equilibrium over time.
In the example given, adding cream to coffee results in uniform distribution due to the disorder in the cup’s environment. Similarly, quantum objects usually disperse homogeneously unless some form of disorder prevents it. The researchers have now shown that many-body localization can be achieved and maintained without disorder by precisely manipulating electric and magnetic fields in ordered arrays of trapped ions.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2022/01/when-atoms-dont-blend
Keywords: quantum information, many-body localization, atomic ions, disorder, electric fields
