[cxcorp]

> The idea that two possible states of matter might be in competition and that the dominant mode is suppressing one or more alternative modes is fairly common in quantum materials, the researchers say. This suggests that there may be latent states lurking unseen in many kinds of matter that could be unveiled if a way can be found to suppress the dominant state.

How exciting! I can only daydream about the kind of discoveries to be found about matter in, say, 50 years.

[throw1234651234]

I don't understand it enough to get excited - what are the potential applications?

[AngryData]

I don't think anyone can predict the applications because creating new materials could have many, or almost no, novel or useful properties. Look at how many different ways we can manipulate iron and create different properties, now there might be even more. Or maybe it isn't stable in bulk atmospheric amounts, but can be held under pressure and has some unique property to make it suitable for computing, or detecting certain kinds of energy or radiation, or forms piezoelectric properties or who knows. Maybe it can be used in optical data processing or amplifying.

Most likely this isn't going to revolutionize our world, but there is always that small chance, and we will certainly find some use for these novel states of matter somewhere, if not just more physics experiments.

[pm90]

I don't think we can comment on any applications at this time.

A lot of discoveries like these aren't exciting because of commercial potential, if that's what you mean by applications. As we discover more states and more properties of these states, as we develop technologies to persist these states for longer than a fleeting amount of time, we might discover interesting properties which may have commercial uses. Sometimes, the technologies developed to create/contain such exotic materials themselves tend to have commercial applications. That's how it is with the interplay of science and technology with the economy.

[anon73044]

My guess would be maybe in this new state, some metals might be more likely to alloy with others, so we'll have lots of fun new materials with strange properties. Maybe even find a new super conductor or two.

[haversine02]

In some materials, this hidden configuration might have interesting properties. It could even be (quasi)stable once the original pattern is suppressed. So, novel superconductors or metamaterials, maybe?