Sina Technology News Beijing time on July 24th news, according to foreign media reports, at present, scientists have created a nanoparticle structure, can rotate 1 billion times per second, which is the fastest mechanical rotation recorded so far. They hope to use These rotating particles study the spatiotemporal structure.
Two independent research groups have studied how the energy of light causes the nanoparticles to move and eventually achieve an incredible rotational frequency. But if the rotation frequency is too fast, it may be a way to measure particle and space-time friction.
Tongcang Li, an associate professor of physics and astronomy at Purdue University, said: 'In quantum mechanics, there is quantum vacuum drift—virtual particles appear and disappear. If a nanoparticle rotates very fast, then these virtual particles may rub.
Each team produces their rotating nanoparticles in a similar way, and Tongcang Li's team is investigating how to use the light in a vacuum as a torsion balance to suspend the particles. This torsion scale tool can be used to detect very Slight force. They create and suspend nanometer dumbbells with a diameter of about 100 nanometers (equivalent to virus size) and create their torsion balance simulants, which is a very interesting result in itself.
When they use circularly polarized light to illuminate the nano-dumbbells, or use a beam of light that oscillates with the electric field to illuminate the nano-dumbbells, the dumbbell will spin at an alarming rate. According to the Physic Review Letters report, the miniature dumbbell structure rotates 1 billion per second. Times.
The experimental setup of the second research group was similar, and they also used a silica nanoparticle, although the research team members were only playing some interesting things. Rennes Lai, professor of photonics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich Rene Reimann said: 'We tried to observe how fast the nano dumbbells rotate. This is our scientific motivation. Only when they reach a certain high-frequency rotation speed can they be extended to other applications. They measure according to the light of the scattering particles. The rotation frequency of nano dumbbells. '
Since there is no air forming resistance in a vacuum environment, the nano dumbbells rotate very fast. These nanoatoms do not separate until the rotational forces overcome their binding forces. However, according to the Ryman research team's paper, in order to determine the polarization How light is transmitted to the particles, there is more work to be done.
Experiments like this can measure extreme physical phenomena, even mysterious cosmic signals. Ryman's research team published a research report in the journal Physical Evaluation Letters that both research groups have mentioned that if they set experimental temperature conditions When it is close to absolute zero, it is possible to detect the basic properties of quantum vacuum and physics.