Researchers uncover bizarre quantum behaviors in one-dimensional systems

Swinburne researchers have stumbled upon strange new quantum behaviours that exist only in one-dimensional systems, potentially revolutionising our understanding of how materials conduct electricity, emit light, and respond to external forces.

The discovery focuses on what happens when a single “impurity” particle – like an uninvited guest at a party of identical particles – is introduced into a tightly packed crowd. While this might sound abstract, these microscopic interactions dictate how nearly all materials in our world function.

“This research is particularly important for technologies like solar panels, LEDs and transistors, where added particles often carry electrical charge,” explained co-author Dr Jia Wang (pictured) from Swinburne’s Centre for Quantum Technology Theory.

“Whether these particles move freely or get ‘stuck’ depends on how they interact with their surroundings on a quantum level.”

The researchers used the Fermi-Hubbard model to study these interactions in one-dimensional optical lattices – artificial crystals created with laser light. What they found defied conventional wisdom.

In normal three-dimensional materials, these interactions create well-defined peaks in measurements, associated with “polarons” where the impurity and environment behave as a single particle. But in one dimension, quantum effects go wild.

“The crowd reacts in ways that blur those sharp peaks, creating what we call anomalous Fermi singularities. These are like new quantum fingerprints: unique signatures showing that particles in 1D follow very different rules,” Dr. Wang says.

Remarkably, the team achieved an exact solution – a rarity in quantum physics – providing crucial benchmarks for both theoretical models and real-world experiments.

The findings could transform how we design quantum materials and devices, providing new insights into fundamental physics while offering practical applications for next-generation technologies.

Picture: credit Swinburne University