Desktop Model of Quantum Gravity: How a Chain of Strontium Atoms Tests the Laws of Space-Time

In condensed matter physics, phase transitions are divided into two fundamentally different classes. The first class consists of classical, or thermal, transitions. These occur when temperature changes: the thermal motion of particles intensifies and destroys the ordered structure of a substance, as happens when ice melts or heated iron loses its magnetic properties. The second class comprises quantum phase transitions. These occur at absolute zero temperature, where thermal motion is completely absent. Under such conditions, the change in the state of matter is governed exclusively by quantum fluctuations that arise from changes in external parameters: mechanical pressure, magnetic field strength, or laser radiation frequency. Rydberg blockade, free interpretation Source: www.bing.com Source: www.bing.com At the point of a quantum…