Scientists at NIST and the University of Maryland have developed a way to make neutral atoms behave like charged particles in an electric field. By manipulating the atoms with lasers, they created a synthetic electric field that caused the atoms to move as if they were charged particles, but without the repulsion that would occur in a real electric field.
This breakthrough allows researchers to study fundamental electrical phenomena in a controlled environment. The synthetic electric field could help scientists better understand exotic electrical properties like superconductivity and the quantum Hall effect. The research may also enable measurements of electrical quantities like resistance and inductance in neutral atom systems.
The work builds on previous research by the team where they made neutral atoms act like charged particles in a magnetic field. The new findings were published in Nature Physics in March 2011.
Keywords: electric field, charged particles, synthetic electric field, atoms, measurements
