Efimov States: Gigantic Molecules Fit Inside Each Other Like Russian Nesting Dolls

Wednesday, January 28, 2015 - 12:50 in Physics & Chemistry

scientists have experimentally observed for the first time a phenomenon in ultracold, three-atom molecules predicted by Russian theoretical physicsist Vitaly Efimov in 1970. "Quantum theory makes the existence of these gigantic molecules inevitiable, provided proper--and quite challenging--conditions are created," said Efimov, of the University of Washington. In this quantum phenomenon, called geometric scaling, the triatomic molecules fit inside one another like an infinitely large set of Russian nesting dolls. read more

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