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Physics

Physicists bend atoms in ‘impossible’ experiment

Entire atoms have been put through a classic quantum experiment for the first time and the breakthrough could lead to better detectors for picking up the gravitational waves that ripple across the universe

By Alex Wilkins

31 December 2024

Electron diffraction pattern of cubic zirconia

When particles act like waves, they create a circular diffraction pattern after passing through a small aperture

E. R. DEGGINGER/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

A classic quantum experiment that shows how particles can behave like waves has been demonstrated with atoms for the first time, something that was thought to be impossible. The finding could be used to design atomic detectors that can measure gravitational waves that can’t be detected with current technology.

In 1927, physicist George Paget Thomson showed that electrons passing through a crystal would diffract,…

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