The quantum avalanche

1/3 images 1 of 3 images or videos At the Vienna University of Technology, it was possible to keep a system that is actually very unstable, consisting of many quantum particles, stable and then release its energy in a targeted manner all at once . These are very special diamonds that are being worked with at TU Wien: Their crystal lattice is not perfectly regular, it contains numerous defects. In places where there would be two neighboring carbon atoms in a perfect diamond, there is a nitrogen atom, leaving the second place empty. Microwaves can be used to switch these defects between two different states - a higher energy state and a lower energy state. This makes them an interesting tool for various quantum technologies, such as novel quantum sensors or components for quantum computers. Now it has been possible to control these defects so precisely that they can be used to trigger a spectacular effect: All defects are brought into the high-energy state, in which they remain for some time, until one then releases the entire energy with a tiny microwave pulse and all defects simultaneously change to the low-energy state - similar to a snowfield on which a tiny snowball triggers an avalanche and the entire mass of snow thunders down into the valley at the same time. Atomic spins and microwaves.