Quantum anomaly--breaking a classical symmetry with ultracold atoms

A FLEET study of ultracold atomic gases--a billionth the temperature of outer space--has unlocked new, fundamental quantum effects. The researchers at Swinburne University of Technology studied collective oscillations in ultracold atomic gases, identifying where quantum effects occur to break symmetries predicted by classical physics. They also observed the transition between two-dimensional (2-D) behaviour and three-dimensional (3-D) behaviour.