Quantum waves seen in molecules

[brain pickeR]

In 1999, Zeilinger and his colleagues fired beams of "carbon-60" or "carbon-70" molecules (so named because each molecule contains 60 or 70 carbon atoms) at a device called a diffraction grating. The individual molecules spread out in wavelike patterns, creating "interference patterns" visible on a monitor. This proved that even very hefty molecules can experience quantum effects -- and, thus, can literally be in more than one place at a time, crazy though this sounds.

-http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/22/QUANTUM.TMP&type=science

 

[ZapperZ]

Originally posted by brain pickeR
In 1999, Zeilinger and his colleagues fired beams of "carbon-60" or "carbon-70" molecules (so named because each molecule contains 60 or 70 carbon atoms) at a device called a diffraction grating. The individual molecules spread out in wavelike patterns, creating "interference patterns" visible on a monitor. This proved that even very hefty molecules can experience quantum effects -- and, thus, can literally be in more than one place at a time, crazy though this sounds.

-http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/02/22/QUANTUM.TMP&type=science

I think you are about 4 years behind. The Zeilinger's group has gone on to publish a few more of these, the most recent one being the observation of wave-like nature in tetraphenylporphyrin and fluorofullerene.[1] These are at least twice as big as C70 molecules. They currently hold the record in terms of size and mass.

Zz.

[1] L. Hackermüller et al., PRL v.91, p.090408 (2003).

 

[R0man]

This discovery by Zeilinger and his team is truly groundbreaking. It provides further evidence for the strange and mind-boggling world of quantum mechanics, where particles can behave as both waves and particles at the same time. The fact that even large molecules, such as carbon-60 and carbon-70, can exhibit quantum behavior is truly fascinating. This not only challenges our understanding of the physical world, but also has potential implications for future technologies, such as quantum computing. It is yet another reminder that there is still so much we have yet to discover and understand about the universe.