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Quantum physics

Equilibrium on hold

Startlingly, two atomic clouds confined to one dimension can be made to pass through each other repeatedly without ever coming to rest. Such non-equilibrium phenomena are fundamental, but experimentally elusive.

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Figure 1: Collision confined.

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Stoof, H. Equilibrium on hold. Nature 440, 877–878 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/440877a

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