The states of matter have a fundamental tie to the energy and molecular arrangement of its constituent particles.
With water, as an example, an increase in its energy gives it a looser molecular arrangement. With the increase in energy we see an increase in temperature, and a decrease in energy, which correlates to a decrease in temperature and gives it a more solid molecular structure.
What happens if we go lower? How low can we go in temperature? What happens to matter then?.
“When particles slow down, their wavelike properties begin to show and structurally interfere and their wave properties start to dominate … and they become like one big … giant atom,” explains Mr. Surace, a physics teacher at the high school. “
He explained that in classical physics at the lowest temperature (which is absolute zero at 0K) all kinetic movement of the molecules ceases, but using quantum physics, getting to this point is impossible. There is always movement even as they are at absolute zero.
By applying Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle, one cannot know both the momentum and position of a particle; but by the classical definition of molecular motion at 0K, the particle would be perfectly at rest and its position would be able to measured. However, this violates Heisenberg’s uncertainty principle. Thus by quantum definition there is not a possibility of matter existing at absolute 0– approaching it, yes, but existing at it, impossible.
The first theorization of BEC began in the 1920s when Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein theorized the existence of a unique state of matter called the Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC). This state of matter is when bosons (simply subatomic particles) of matter have their wave-like property acting as one, creating a kind of super atom when its temperature approaches absolute 0.However, it wasn’t until 1995 that it was experimentally confirmed by Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman with rubidium atoms.
At the low temperatures associated with the formation of BEC’s particles, even though it exists in superposition, their behavior is tangible and significant which has made massive strides in quantum computing for being able to stabilize qubits which are the building blocks of quantum computing. This state provides stability and prevents decoherence of the qubits which is imperative to the fundamentals of quantum computing and increasing the reliability of these computers.
In a more metaphysical kind of way, there are theories that suggest a link between BEC and the human consciousness. It is postulated that the BEC lies within microtubules of the brain’s cells which can serve as a physical substrate for the consciousness of man. While this idea is largely speculative, according to sciencedirect.com, it still provides an intriguing avenue for research to understand how the principles of quantum mechanics relate to more ethereal concepts such as the soul and the consciousness.
This fifth state of matter provides much intrigue as well as exciting new avenues for scientists to research and implement into new developments
