Weird Quantum Gadget Spits Out Chaotic 'Sound Particles'

Scientists can now sculpt the quantum states of tiny particles to their liking—an odd yet mind-blowing revolution leading to some fascinating inventions. And the latest in the revolution is an odd device whose quantum properties could tackle the trickiest challenges in communications technology. The device, described in a recent Physical Review Letters paper, generates phonons—a quantum mechanical description of vibrations in a material, similar to how photons are quantized light waves. Typically, phonons exist in a chaotic, entangled mix that makes them difficult for scientists to predict and control. However, the team designed the device to operate at extremely cold temperatures to bring out quantum effects, giving researchers a new pathway to control these frisky particles. “Phonons are hard to generate and harness in a controlled way, so we are exploring new regimes,” Michael Hilke, the study’s co-author and a physicist at McGill University in Canada, said in a statement. “At a broad level, this is about how electrical current and energy moves and is converted inside advanced electronic materials.” Phonons belong to a category of quantum phenomena called quasiparticles. This co