Researchers from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien ) and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) have announced the first successful demonstration of quantum world particles working together to produce stronger signals than any single particle could individually generate.
Called superradiance, this quantum-world cooperation was mainly known as an unwanted byproduct of particle interactions that would cause quantum-based technologies to lose energy too rapidly, thereby restricting their development.
In the new study, the researchers observed a form of quantum cooperation called self-induced superradiant masing, which they described as “spontaneous, long-lived bursts of microwave emission generated without external driving.” They said this unexpected effect forces scientists to reevaluate the behavior of the quantum world and offers “exciting potential” for future technologies based on this cooperative quantum-world behavior.
“This discovery changes how we think about the quantum world,” explained Professor Kae Nemoto, Center Director of the OIST Center for Quantum Technologies. “We’ve shown that the very interactions once thought to disrupt quantum behavior can instead be harnessed to create it.”
“That shift opens entirely new directions for quantum technologies,” the professor added.
The Adventures of Superradiance in the Quantum World
The team began their experiments on the behavior of quantum-world spin systems by coupling a dense ensemble of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in a diamond to a microwave cavity. These centers host individual electron spins that can be flipped between their quantum states. The team said this versatility allows them to act as miniature magnets.
According to Professor William Munro, co-author of the study and head of OIST’s Quantum Engineering and Design Unit, the setup they used enabled them to observe an initial superradiant microwave burst, as predicted directly. However, the professor explained, it was what happened next that caught the entire research team by surprise.
“We observed the expected initial superradiant burst,” Munro explained, “but then a surprising train of narrow, long-lived microwave pulses appeared.”
Caught by surprise and unsure where the unexpected, long-lived microwave pulses had come from, the researchers performed a series of large-scale computational simulations on platforms designed to model such quantum-world behaviors. According to the group’s statement announcing the study, these simulations identified the source as “self-induced spin interactions that dynamically repopulate energy levels,” resulting in sustained emission without any external pumping.
“Essentially, the system drives itself,” Prof. Munro explained of the surprising result. “These spin–spin interactions continually trigger new transitions, revealing a fundamentally new mode of collective quantum behavior.”
Dr Wenzel Kersten, the first author of the study, agreed, noting that seeing the emissions actively being fueled by the “messy interactions between spins” was a truly remarkable experience.
“The system organizes itself, producing an extremely coherent microwave signal from the very disorder that usually destroys it,” Dr. Kersten explained.
“The Next Generation of Scientific and Industrial Innovation”
Although the scientists involved in the study were excited about uncovering new insights into quantum physics, they also highlighted several practical applications of futuristic quantum-world technologies that leverage superradiance.
For example, they suggest that the self-sustained microwave emission witnessed during these experiments could form the basis for ultra-precise clocks, more accurate navigation systems, and ultra-precise communication links. These include GPS and telecommunications systems as well as radar and satellite networks.
Professor Jörg Schmiedmayer of the Vienna Center for Quantum Science and Technology at TU Wien said such advances could benefit medical imaging, materials science, and environmental monitoring. The professor also highlighted the potential to capture these signals in quantum sensing applications, noting that these principles “could also enhance quantum sensors capable of detecting minute changes in magnetic or electric fields.”
“More broadly, this work shows how deep insights into quantum behavior can translate into new tools and technologies to shape the next generation of scientific and industrial innovation,” Schmiedmayer concluded.
The study “Self-induced superradiant masing” was published in Nature Physics.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him directly at christopher@thedebrief.org.