Quantum Physicists Tune Material’s Property Using Energy of ‘Empty’ Space
Simons Foundation, May 2025In quantum physics, there’s no such thing as truly empty space. Even the barest of voids has quantum fluctuations, such as particles continually being created and quickly annihilated in empty space. In a new paper in Nature, a team of quantum physicists, including Flatiron Institute research scientist Nicolas Regnault, demonstrates a remarkable setup that can alter a material’s properties using vacuum field fluctuations. By tuning the interaction strength between vacuum fields and gases made up of electrons confined to two dimensions of movement, the team successfully altered the bulk behavior of the electrons using the vacuum field fluctuations.