任务型阅读:Isitpossibleto“catch”light---andthenletitgo
ScientistsfromHarvardUniversityrecentlydemonstratedawaytocatchandreleaselight---butit’snoteasy
LeneHauisthephysicistwholedthisstudyofhowtostopandleaselight
Physicistsstudymatter,energyandmotion
InthecaseofHau’sexperiment,shehadtouseherknowledgeofallthree
Thelighttrapwasn’tbuiltfromnormalmaterials
HauandherteaminsteadusedakindofmaterialcalledaBose-Einsteincondensate,orBEC
Thismaterialisunusualbecauseitdoesnotrepresentanyofmatter’susualstates:solid,liquidorgas
It’snotevenaplasma(等离子),thefourthstateofmatterfoundinhigh-energyexperiments
Instead,BECsareafifthstateofmatter
Theyexistonlyatcoldestpossibletempe-ratures,afractionofadegreeaboveabsolutezero
Whensomematerialsarecooledtoalmostabsolutezero,theiratomsseemtocollapseintooneteeny-tinyblob,and