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CHEMISTRY
For the first time, researchers have observed ‘quantum superchemistry’ in the lab. Long theorised but never before seen, quantum superchemistry is a phenomenon in which atoms or molecules in the same quantum state chemically react more rapidly than atoms or molecules that are in different quantum states. A quantum state is a set of characteristics of a quantum particle, such as spin or energy level.
To observe this new super-charged chemistry, researchers had to coax not just atoms, but entire molecules into the same quantum state. When they did, however, they saw that the chemical reactions occurred collectively, rather than individually. And the more atoms were involved, meaning the greater the density of the atoms, the quicker the chemical reactions went. “What we saw lined up with the theoretical predictions,” said Cheng Chin, a professor of physics at the University of Chicago. “This has been a scientific goal for 20 years, so it’s a very exciting era.”
Researchers observed the quantum superchemistry in caesium atoms that paired up to form molecules. First, they cooled caesium gas to near absolute zero, the point at which all motion ceases. In this chilled state, they could ease each caesium atom into the same quantum state. They then altered the surrounding magnetic field to kick off the chemical bonding of the atoms. These atoms reacted more quickly together to form two-atom caesium molecules than when the researchers conducted the experiment in normal non-supercooled gas. The resulting molecules also shared the same quantum state, at l
