JUNE 16 2026
Defying the laws of thermodynamics, experiments are beginning to show that a quantum state that is frozen forever might not be impossible. If we can tame it, it could unlock whole new types of matter
In quantum states that theoretically last forever, particles get bounced around again and again, as if in a hall of mirrors.
Quantum states that last forever – or even just for a very long time – could enable us to create completely new states of matter, some of which could be the basis of powerful new quantum computers. “It would open up a whole new class of phases that are otherwise impossible,” says mathematical physicist Wojciech De Roeck at KU Leuven in Belgium.