Modern technological breakthroughs like lasers, MRI scanners, semiconductors and quantum computers rest on the study of quantum mechanics. However, the field has predominantly focused on (sub)atomic phenomena far removed from our human senses.
Demonstrating quantum phenomena in objects massive enough to be meaningfully influenced by gravity has proven difficult, as large objects are significantly harder to isolate from environmental factors, such as heat and vibration, than nanoscopic particles are.
But now, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have moved a levitating, centimeter-wide diamond using the force generated by electron spin alone, the first time a quantum effect has been observed directly manipulating an object subject to gravity.
Published today in Science Advances, their findings set a new baseline for studying the boundary between classical and quantum physics, opening new avenues for exploring the fundamental nature of our universe as well as developing a new class of extremely accurate sensors for detecting dark matter, gravitational waves and other exotic phenomena.
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