Scientists Capture the Sound Made By a Single Atom

Jason Koebler writes Researchers at Columbia University and Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology say that they have, for the first time, "captured" the sound a single atom makes when it is excited—a single "phonon," as it were. So, why do this? For one, the team wanted to simply see if it could capture the softest sound ever made, which is certainly a noble goal. But, secondly, the researchers wanted to explore the quantum nature of sound. Photons have always been used in quantum experiments, but they're pretty hard to manipulate because they're so fast. Phonons move 10^5 slower and thus could make quantum communication easier.

Comments

forest

[Anonymous Coward]

If an atom falls in a forest and no one hears it, did it really make a sound?

Re:forest

[jandersen]

We are talking about EXCITED atoms here - what they say is 'Wheeeee'.

Re:phonon is a widely accepted term

[macraig]

... piezoelectrically coupled superconducting qubit, which is pretty cool.

I saw what you did there, and it was pretty cool.

For those, like me, who couldn't find it

[ksandom]

For those, like me, who couldn't find it in the article; I speculate it sounded like this "WHEEEeeeeeeEEEEeeeeEEEEeeeEEEEeeeeEE!"