Physicists used advanced quantum technologies to test predictions from a decades-old theory.

At the point where matter changes from one phase to another, very different materials can suddenly begin following the same mathematical rules. Water approaching a boil and a magnet losing its magnetism are familiar examples of phase transitions.

“Physicists call this trait universality—the messy, microscopic details wash out and only a few essential features survive,” explains Jason Alicea, William K. Davis Professor of Theoretical Physics. Physicists describe much of this universal behavior using a mathematical framework known as conformal field theory.