ScienceQuiet 39d · day 39
Scientists pack 170 atoms inside a single Rydberg atom
Researchers use laser-excited strontium atoms and extreme cold to create nested atomic structures that challenge conventional understanding of atomic space.
What to know
- Scientists demonstrated that a single atom's electron orbital can contain multiple other atoms, packing up to 170 atoms inside a Rydberg atom without violating physics laws.
- The technique requires laser-exciting a strontium atom to inflate its electron orbit to 1000 times normal size, then filling it with atoms from a Bose-Einstein condensate cooled to near absolute zero.
- These 'Rydberg polarons' represent a novel quantum structure with significant implications for understanding atomic physics, though direct practical applications remain unclear.
“An electron gets bumped to higher and higher energy levels, the radius of its orbital gets bigger very quickly. But if we add too much energy, the electron flies away from the nucleus completely, and we're left with an ion.”
Signore Galilei, Science writer · Signore Galilei blog
International team of scientists Researchers who created Rydberg polarons
Johannes Rydberg Swedish physicist (historical)
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