Cold atoms 'ideal' for future of clinical laboratory IT solutions

Future clinical laboratory IT solutions could be built using knowledge gained from studies of cold atoms and the quantum spin Hall effect.

The effect occurs in topological insulators, which have spin currents along their edges, unlike ordinary insulators.

Non-profit public research network madri+d says the state of matter in these materials is exotic, as it cannot be classified using known phase transitions theory.

However, the current flow occurs with very little loss of energy and performs well when external perturbations are introduced.

In order to develop the phenomenon for use in clinical laboratory IT solutions and other systems, the organisation says cold atoms are a key focus for investigations.

The atoms, which are trapped and cooled using lasers, are free from impurities and allow interactions between one particle and another to be studied.

As a result, they represent "an ideal playground" for increasing understanding of the phenomenon and how it may be manipulated for human benefit.