Researchers at TU Wien have found strong quantum entanglement in a centimeter-sized crystal made of cerium, palladium and silicon. The finding shows that macroscopic materials can exhibit collective quantum behavior. It was published in Nature Physics in 2026.
The team used quantum Fisher information to measure the crystal's response to neutrons at the Institut Laue-Langevin in Grenoble. Data showed groups of at least nine entangled entities acting together rather than independently.
"In a normal material, one would expect a neutron to transfer its energy to an individual particle," said PhD student Federico Mazza. "But by analyzing the data using the quantum Fisher information, we found a response that cannot be explained in terms of independent particles."
Prof. Silke Bühler-Paschen of TU Wien explained that the approach treats the crystal like an anthill, where particles respond collectively. The work links quantum information science with the study of strange metals and may aid development of precise quantum sensors.