Rome: In a breakthrough, Italian scientists have successfully "frozen" light, demonstrating that it can behave as a supersolid - a rare state of matter that exhibits both solid-like structure and frictionless flow.

The discovery, which was published in ‘Nature’, is a major turning point in quantum physics and has the potential to transform future uses of optical and quantum computing.

A supersolid is an unusual phase of matter that has both the stiffness of a solid and the fluidity of a superfluid. Only Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs), a state of matter created when a collection of bosons is cooled to almost absolute zero, forcing them to inhabit the same quantum state, have till now shown super-solidity. But now, a group led by Davide Nigro from the University of Pavia and Antonio Gianfate from CNR Nanotec has shown that light itself may display this odd behavior.

How scientists 'froze' light?

The researchers created a supersolid state in light using quantum methods rather than the conventional freezing method, which involves reducing the temperature to change a liquid into a solid. To control photons in a way akin to that of electrons in conductors, they employed a semiconductor platform.

In order to create hybrid light-matter particles called polaritons, the scientists used a laser to create a gallium arsenide structure studded with microscpic ridges.

As the quantity of photons rose, the researchers witnessed the creation of satellite condensates, a pattern indicative of supersolidity.

These condensates formed a distinct spatial structure that verified the existence of a supersolid state since they had opposing wavenumbers but the same energy.

What does the discovery mean?

The implications of this finding for quantum technologies are extensive. The development of more stable quantum bits (qubits), which are critical for the development of quantum computing, may be greatly aided by supersolid light.

This kind of light manipulation has the potential to transform not only machines but also photonic circuits, optical devices, and even basic quantum mechanics research. Researchers hope that these methods will be improved in the future, allowing for more stable and regulated supersolid light formations.