Schrödinger’s anthill: Quantum entanglement found in a crystal large enough to hold

Quantum phenomena are usually associated with extremely small objects such as individual atoms, molecules, or photons that must be carefully isolated from their surroundings. But can those same strange quantum effects also exist in objects large enough to see and hold? Researchers at TU Wien have now provided compelling evidence that they can.

By studying a centimeter-sized crystal made from a type of material known as a strange metal, the team detected a high degree of quantum entanglement, one of the most remarkable features of quantum physics. They accomplished this using a technique from quantum information science called quantum Fisher information. The results create a new connection between quantum information and solid-state physics by showing that quantum entanglement can be measured directly in a macroscopic strange metal.

From Schrödinger's Cat to an Anthill Whether quantum mechanics applies only to tiny particles or also to larger objects has been debated since the early days of the field. Physicist Erwin Schrödinger famously illustrated the mystery with his thought experiment involving a cat that is simultaneously alive and dead until observed. Since then, scientists have repeatedly pushed the limits of how large a system can display quantum behavior.

The TU Wien team approached the question from a different angle. "Our approach is different," says Prof. Silke Bühler-Paschen from the Institute of Solid State Physics at TU Wien.

"We do not try to bring the crystal as a whole into a superposition of two states. Instead, we ask whether its constituents are -- collectively -- in such a state of entanglement." Rather than thinking of Schrödinger's cat, Bühler-Paschen says the experiment is more like an anthill.

When an anthill is disturbed, the response comes from the colony acting together rather than from any individual ant. The researchers wanted to determine whether the particles inside the crystal behave in a similarly coordinated way. Quantum Fisher Information Reveals Hidden Entanglement The theoretical framework behind the experiment was developed by Innsbruck quantum physicist Peter Zoller and his colleagues.

Their work showed that quantum Fisher information can be used to identify quantum entanglement even in complex systems made up of enormous numbers of interacting particles. "The quantum Fisher information quantifies how sensitively a quantum system responds to a change," explains Bühler-Paschen. "For a collection of independent particles, the response is limited because each particle contributes on its own.

However, if the particles are entangled, the entire system can respond more strongly than the sum of its individual parts. This enhanced sensitivity is precisely what makes entanglement such a valuable resource for quantum metrology, where one aims to detect extremely small signals with the highest possible precision. By measuring how strongly a system responds to a perturbation, one can therefore infer the degree of entanglement present in the material."

In simple terms, a strongly entangled system reacts more dramatically to disturbances than a collection of independent particles, allowing researchers to estimate how much entanglement is present. Strange Metal Crystal Shows Collective Quantum Behavior To test the idea, the researchers created a crystal composed of cerium, palladium, and silicon. This material belongs to the class of strange metals, which have long fascinated physicists because they display unusual quantum properties that remain only partly understood.

At the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in Grenoble, PhD student Federico Mazza fired neutrons at the crystal and measured its response. "In a normal material, one would expect a neutron to transfer its energy to an individual particle," says Mazza. "But by analyzing the data using the quantum Fisher information, we found a response that cannot be explained in terms of independent particles.

Instead, it indicates that groups of at least nine quantum-entangled entities act collectively." The measurements provide direct evidence of strong multipartite quantum entanglement inside a solid crystal that is large enough to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. Solving the Mystery of Strange Metals The researchers originally set out to better understand why strange metals behave so differently from conventional materials.

Similar behavior is also found in other systems, including high-temperature superconductors. Interest in strange metals has grown rapidly in recent years as scientists continue uncovering unexpected properties. In 2025, researchers from TU Wien and Rice University reported that electrical current moves through these materials with unusually low electrical noise.

The newly observed quantum entanglement may help explain why. Rather than acting independently, the particles appear to coordinate their behavior in a way that suppresses current fluctuations. "What we see here is not a detail of one particular mater