Bizarre Soviet-Era Theory About New State Of Matter Is Actually Right

Here’s your dose of mind-bending physics for the day. In 1970, a young Soviet physicist named Vitaly Efimov proposed a trio of ultracold particles could arrange themselves in an “infinite nesting-doll configuration”. Scientists have now published compelling evidence that this state of matter, once dismissed by physicists, totally does exist.

Picture: The machine used to trap and cool ultracold cesium atoms. C. Lackner/Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information

Like most of us, physicists themselves were perplexed when they first heard of what is called now called the Efimov state. But Efimov’s maths has held up in the four and a half decades since, and technological advances have even allowed physicists to achieve the Efimov state in a lab.

The balance of forces acting on three particles allows for the Efimov state. In her piece for Quanta Magazine, journalist Natalie Wolochover valiantly wades into the quantum mechanics behind it:

more…

> a young Soviet physicist named Vitaly Efimov proposed a trio of ultracold particles could arrange themselves in an “infinite nesting-doll configuration”

Matryoshka on steroids.

mollwollfumble said:

> a young Soviet physicist named Vitaly Efimov proposed a trio of ultracold particles could arrange themselves in an “infinite nesting-doll configuration”

Matryoshka on steroids.

How could it be infinite?

The Rev Dodgson said:

How could it be infinite?

Well, it couldn’t, unless it were in an infinite flat universe containing an infinite quantity of the right kind of matter at the right temperature. :)

PM 2Ring said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

How could it be infinite?

Well, it couldn’t, unless it were in an infinite flat universe containing an infinite quantity of the right kind of matter at the right temperature. :)

but the point I think they are trying to make is that there are an infinite number of stable configuration states – all on equal scaling factors.

diddly-squat said:

PM 2Ring said:

The Rev Dodgson said:

How could it be infinite?

Well, it couldn’t, unless it were in an infinite flat universe containing an infinite quantity of the right kind of matter at the right temperature. :)

but the point I think they are trying to make is that there are an infinite number of stable configuration states – all on equal scaling factors.

Fair enough. Perhaps they could’ve said it was a potentially infinite structure, like a finitely iterated Koch snowflake , Sierpiński gasket , or other simple fractal with a fixed scaling factor.

PM 2Ring said:

diddly-squat said:

PM 2Ring said:

Well, it couldn’t, unless it were in an infinite flat universe containing an infinite quantity of the right kind of matter at the right temperature. :)

but the point I think they are trying to make is that there are an infinite number of stable configuration states – all on equal scaling factors.

Fair enough. Perhaps they could’ve said it was a potentially infinite structure, like a finitely iterated Koch snowflake , Sierpiński gasket , or other simple fractal with a fixed scaling factor.

and then how would you guys get to discuss their subject and indicate to the greater audience you know what you are talking about? Incomplete articles are simply allowing room for genius to quibble……

:P

…… isn’t “eff ‘im off” a coaching term?