Quantum physicists at ANU have observed atoms entangled in motion.

“It’s really weird for us to think that this is how the Universe works,” says Dr Sean Hodgman from the ANU Research School of Physics. “You can read about it in a textbook, but it’s really weird to think that a particle can be in two places at once.”

Understanding the hidden interfacial coupling in two-dimensional (2D) materials, such as multilayer graphene and hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), is vital for future quantum electronics. To reveal these elusive interactions, scientists in China demonstrated a universal plasmonic nanocavity strategy that acts as a nano-amplifier for light-matter interaction. This technique allows one to clearly detect the faint layer-breathing vibrations of atomic layers and decode their stacking dynamics, which is previously invisible to standard spectroscopy. This breakthrough opens new avenues for probing "silent" phonons, providing a quantitative framework to characterize complex layered quantum materials.

Alberto Striolo is helping scientists better understand clathrate hydrates, which are underutilized in technology, through a trailblazing study.