The ‘quantum magnet’ Harvard physicists expand prospects for
engineering unusual materials Harvard physicists have expanded
the possibilities for quantum engineering of novel materials
such as high-temperature superconductors by coaxing ultra cold
atoms trapped in an optical lattice — a light crystal — to self-
organize into a magnet, using only the minute disturbances
resulting from quantum mechanics. The research, published in the
journal Nature, is the first demonstration of such a “quantum
magnet” in an optical lattice. As modern technology depends more
and more on materials with exotic quantum mechanical properties,
researchers are coming up against a natural barrier. “The
problem is that what makes these materials useful often makes
them extremely difficult to design,”said senior author Markus
Greiner, an associate professor in Harvard’s Department of
Physics. “They can become entangled, existing in multiple
configurations at the same time. This hallmark of quantum
mechanics is difficult for normal compu