Erwin Schrödinger Center for Quantum Science & Technology (ESQ)

Supersolidity – a state of matter that combines the properties of superfluidity and a crystalline structure – has recently been observed in several ultracold atomic systems following its inception in the 1960s. Following the observation of supersolidity in Bose-Einstein condensates comprised of atoms with a significant dipole moment four years ago, much research has focused on exploring the superfluidity of the crystallised state. Here, we wish to investigate the solidity of the state, by probing solid properties of the material, such as shear, strain, and the plasticity, using a variety of sophisticated numerical and theoretical techniques.