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Phoenix666 [soylentnews.org] writes:

Phys.org [phys.org]:

ITMO University researchers have demonstrated that individual atoms can be transformed into polaritons—quantum particles that are a mixture of matter and light, which are transmitted via optical fibers. In this new state of matter, photons and atoms form ultra-strong coupling for the first time. The results of this research can be used to control the properties of light and matter and to create quantum memory. The paper is published in Physical Review Letters.

Materials' properties can be changed chemically, by mixing them with other substances, or physically, as when metals enter superconductive states during rapid cooling. ITMO University physicists have performed similar transformations in a relatively new way—by using light and subjecting matter to high-intensity light beams or creating conditions for ultra-strong coupling between atoms and photons, which results in new particles known as polaritons.

The finding could have use in quantum memory.

Original Submission