A research team has shown that a method for imaging atoms held in a 2D array of optical traps can be used to reveal the wave-like behavior of the atoms when they are released into free space [1]. The team placed atoms in the traps, turned the traps off for a short time, and then turned them back on again. By making many measurements of the atoms’ locations after the traps were reactivated, the researchers could deduce the atoms’ wave-like behavior. The team plans to use this technique to simulate interacting systems of particles in quantum states that are not well understood.
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