Contact: Laura Ost
laura.ost@nist.gov
301-975-4034
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

'Tornadoes' Are Transferred From Light to Sodium Atoms

Caption: Quantum weirdness: Pictures of a BEC "cloud" of sodium atoms in the NIST experiment to transfer rotational energy to a quantum system show the cloud (a) rotating in a donut-shaped vortex, and interfering with itself as the cloud (b) simultaneously rotates in opposite directions, and (c) simultaneously rotates and stands still. Rotational energy is transferred in quantized amounts. False-color images show (d) one and (e) two units of rotational motion.

Credit: NIST

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Related news release: 'Tornadoes' are transferred from light to sodium atoms