University of Innsbruck

Bethe strings, predicted in 1931, created in ultracold cesium gas

Led the experimental creation of Bethe strings

A quantum state predicted in 1931 now exists in a laboratory. Physicists in Innsbruck cooled cesium atoms near absolute zero, squeezed them into thousands of one-dimensional tubes, and watched them bind into clusters called Bethe strings.

Updated Oct 28

Physicists create a strange new quantum state called a fractional Fermi sea

New Capabilities

Home of the experimental group that engineered the state

Physicists at the University of Innsbruck created a new quantum state called a fractional Fermi sea: ultracold cesium atoms locked into a highly excited but orderly configuration. The state forms when researchers cycle the atoms between forceful repulsion and attraction, pushing the gas far from equilibrium without letting it fall into disorder.

Updated Oct 19

One-tonne hoard of Iron Age iron bars hints at vast ancient trade

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As of September 2026: Lead research institution on the Deinham find

In spring 2019, gravel workers pulling material from the Danube near Deinham in Upper Austria noticed double-pointed iron bars coming up with the excavator. They reported the find to Austria's Federal Monuments Office. The office recovered at least 500 bars weighing roughly a tonne, the largest prehistoric iron cache ever found in Europe.

Updated Sep 23

University of Innsbruck

Stories

Bethe strings, predicted in 1931, created in ultracold cesium gas

Physicists create a strange new quantum state called a fractional Fermi sea

One-tonne hoard of Iron Age iron bars hints at vast ancient trade