{"id":477018,"date":"2026-05-09T23:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T23:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/477018\/"},"modified":"2026-05-09T23:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T23:24:10","slug":"scientists-create-quantum-sound-device-that-works-near-absolute-zero","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/477018\/","title":{"rendered":"Scientists Create \u201cQuantum Sound\u201d Device That Works Near Absolute Zero"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Subatomic<\/a>A new ultra-cold device developed at McGill University can generate controlled sound-like quantum vibrations known as phonons. The discovery could open the door to future technologies that use sound in ways similar to how modern systems use light and electricity. Credit: Shutterstock<\/p>\n

The technology could support advances in high-speed communication systems, sensing tools, biological materials, and medical technologies.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Researchers at McGill University<\/a> have created a new device that produces phonons, which are particles associated with sound, under extremely cold conditions. The work could help pave the way for phonon lasers, a technology with potential uses in communication systems and medical diagnostics.<\/p>\n

\u201cModern communication is largely based on light, including electromagnetic waves and electrical currents. In a medium such as oceans, sound can travel, whereas light and electrical currents cannot,\u201d said Michael Hilke, Associate Professor of Physics and study co-author. \u201cIn the human body, sound waves can also be a useful tool.\u201d<\/p>\n

The device was developed and studied at McGill University and the National Research Council of Canada, while the material used in the work was produced at Princeton University.<\/p>\n

Fast electrons create sound-like vibrations<\/p>\n

To make the device work, an electrical current is directed through a two-dimensional crystal layer, where electrons are confined inside a channel only a few atoms thick. When the electrons are driven through the channel with enough force, they give off energy in the form of phonons, producing controlled bursts of sound-related vibrations that can be adjusted in predictable ways.<\/p>\n

\"Ultrahigh<\/a>The device works by sending an electrical current through a two-dimensional layer of crystal, trapping electrons in a channel within an area just a few atoms thick. Credit: Michael Hilke et al<\/p>\n

The effect appears only under extreme cooling, with the devices brought down to temperatures ranging from about 10 millikelvin to 3.9 Kelvin. At those conditions, electrons move in a more orderly way, allowing scientists to study quantum effects, where matter can act more like waves than ordinary particles.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt absolute zero temperatures\u2014that is, the world of quantum physics\u2014no sound is created unless electrons travel collectively at the speed of sound or above,\u201d Hilke explained. \u201cEarlier work had observed related effects as electron speeds approached the sound barrier. Our study goes further by pushing the system well beyond that point and showing that existing theories need to be reassessed by considering that electrons can be very hot even if the host crystal is close to absolute zero temperature.\u201d<\/p>\n

New materials could accelerate device speed<\/p>\n

Hilke said future research will examine whether other materials, including graphene, could make the device run at even higher speeds.<\/p>\n

Such advances could support faster communication technologies, improved sensors, biological materials, and advanced medical systems.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhonons are hard to generate and harness in a controlled way, so we are exploring new regimes. At a broad level, this is about how electrical current and energy moves and is converted inside advanced electronic materials,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Reference: \u201cResonant Magnetophonon Emission by Supersonic Electrons in Ultrahigh-Mobility Two-Dimensional Systems\u201d by Z.\u2009T. Wang, M. Hilke, N. Fong, D.\u2009G. Austing, S.\u2009A. Studenikin, K.\u2009W. West and L.\u2009N. Pfeiffer, 8 April 2026, Physical Review Letters.
DOI: 10.1103\/m1nb-j1h6<\/a><\/p>\n

The study was funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada and the Fonds de recherche du Qu\u00e9bec \u2013 Nature et technologie.<\/p>\n

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Follow us on Google<\/a> and Google News<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A new ultra-cold device developed at McGill University can generate controlled sound-like quantum vibrations known as phonons. The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477019,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[74],"tags":[208914,18,19,17,7074,909,53449,913,1098,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-477018","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-condensed-matter","9":"tag-eire","10":"tag-ie","11":"tag-ireland","12":"tag-lasers","13":"tag-materials-science","14":"tag-mcgill-university","15":"tag-nanotechnology","16":"tag-quantum-physics","17":"tag-technology"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ie\/116547201689720876","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477018","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477018"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477018\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477018"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477018"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477018"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}