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Yes—researchers have observed supersolid behavior in several kinds of ultracold quantum gases. A 2026 experiment with potassium atoms directly imaged a spin–orbit-coupled supersolid’s striped pattern as it changed over time. That is a notable new platform and a vivid view of the structure, not the first experimental observation of a supersolid.
What makes a supersolid unusual?
A supersolid combines two kinds of order usually associated with different states of matter: a crystal-like pattern in the density of particles and superfluid behavior. Superfluidity means flow without ordinary viscous resistance. In the potassium experiment, the crystal-like order appeared as stripes in an ultracold atomic cloud—not as a piece of ordinary solid material becoming frictionless.
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Those two properties are related but not interchangeable. A striped density pattern alone shows spatial order; it does not, by itself, establish superfluidity. Experiments therefore look for other evidence too, such as phase coherence, collective sound or excitation modes, rotational response, or quantized vortices. Different research platforms test different signatures.
What did the 2026 potassium experiment show?
Researchers at ICFO, led by ICREA Professor Leticia Tarruell, worked with theorists at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona to make and image a spin–orbit-coupled supersolid using ultracold potassium atoms. Their institutional accounts describe stripes that moved closer together and farther apart over time, giving the pattern a breathing motion. They also report stripes appearing or disappearing as the cloud expanded or contracted. The researchers connect this behavior to the system’s superfluid nature. ICFO’s account of the experiment and the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona’s explanation provide the experimental description.
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How the stripes formed
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The team cooled potassium atoms close to absolute zero until they formed a Bose–Einstein condensate.
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Two laser beams coupled the atoms’ spin state to their momentum.
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Interference between two atomic states with different momenta produced a striped density pattern.
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The institutional accounts say potassium made the stripes prominent enough to image directly. Earlier work with other atomic species had lower-contrast stripes that researchers could infer rather than observe as clearly. The collaborators used a “mixture model” to interpret the pattern as interference between modified atomic components; that is their explanation of this result, not a universal account of every supersolid platform.
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How this result fits with earlier experiments
Supersolid experiments do not all use the same atoms, create order in the same way, or demonstrate the same feature. The 2026 potassium result is best understood as a new platform with direct imaging of a dynamic stripe pattern, alongside earlier work that established other signatures.
| Experiment | Platform and route to order | What was demonstrated |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 quantum-gas experiment | A Bose–Einstein condensate coupled to two optical-cavity modes. | Reported supersolid formation with continuous translational symmetry broken in one direction, as well as phase coherence. Light leaking from the cavities was used to monitor fluctuations in the crystal’s position. Nature’s paper describes the result. |
| 2024 rotating dipolar gas | A two-dimensional dipolar supersolid studied under rotation. | Researchers reported quantized vortices, a characteristic rotational signature of superfluidity. This is distinct from imaging the potassium stripes. The University of Innsbruck’s account describes the finding. |
| 2025 driven quantum gas | A driven quantum-gas system. | The work examined supersolid-like sound modes, a different experimental signature and route from the 2026 potassium imaging result. See the Nature Physics article. |
| 2026 potassium experiment | A spin–orbit-coupled potassium Bose–Einstein condensate, patterned through laser coupling and interference. | Direct imaging showed stripes whose spacing oscillated, along with stripes appearing or vanishing as the cloud changed size. The team interpreted these observations in connection with the system’s superfluid nature. |
These are related demonstrations, not stages of one experiment. A direct image answers what a spatial pattern looks like and how it changes; measurements of coherence, sound, or rotation probe other aspects of supersolid behavior.
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Does this mean scientists made a “supersolid liquid”?
No. The “supersolid liquid” mentioned in the ICFO and UAB accounts is a proposed future research direction, not a result achieved in these experiments. The reported work concerns supersolid behavior in ultracold atomic gases.
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