Monday, December 24, 2012

Matter is either solid, liquid, and gas, right? Wrong!

There are in fact more than 500 phases of matter, according to a major paper in the 12/21/12  issue of Science.

Using modern mathematics, Perimeter Faculty member Xiao-Gang Wen and collaborators from the US, Canda and China reveal a new system which can, at last, successfully classify symmetry-protected phases of matter. Their new classification system will provide insight about these quantum phases of matter, which may in turn increase our ability to design states of matter for use in superconductors or quantum computers.

"a revealing look at the intricate and fascinating world of quantum entanglement, and an important step toward a modern reclassification of all phases of matter." according to the press release.

5 comments:

Beam Me Up said...

Man Ron!
you can pull the good ones right out of the air! I had not even heard an inkling of this! Of course I have not even mastered up down and weird quarks yet...now they are out the window....

500.... there is a joke in there somewhere I am sure....

kallamis said...

I'm out of my league in this discussion, but I always did believe we don't have everything right yet.
I'm not a bit surprised by this after other things I've read about quantum states alone, and even what they call weird matter I believe it is.
Anyway, out of my league here guys.

Beam Me Up said...

You and me both Kall. I can grasp the Newtonian solid liquid gas and such, but even though it doesn't surprise me, the very idea of at least 500 variations on a single state leave me dazed and confused...

kallamis said...

It gets better. I think I meant Strange matter, not Weird matter. Man I can't keep all that straight.

Beam Me Up said...

I know where the confusion starts though, wasn't it Dr.E. who when asked about quantum mechanics that he considered it weird (or was it spooky) happenings at a distance....