A Supersolid Made Using Photons

NewScientist summary, https://archive.is/b9qKH

  An odd solid that can flow like a fluid has been created from light for the first time. Studying it will help researchers better understand exotic quantum states of matter. “We actually made light into a solid." ... light-based supersolids may be easier to manipulate than those previously created with atoms, which could make his team’s experiment a first step towards understanding a slew of novel and surprising types of matter.

Research by:

  Italy: CNR National Institute of Optics, University of Pavia
  USA: Princeton University, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
  Austria: University of Innsbruck

In the industrial present, Intel has shipped a few million silicon photonics ICs for data center optical networking, with ongoing R&D in both quantum and neuromorphic computing, https://thequantuminsider.com/2025/01/09/quantum-and-ai-proj...