The Quanta Podcast Audio Edition: ‘Paraparticles’ Would Be a Third Kingdom of Quantum Particle
Oct 23, 2025
Discover a groundbreaking proposal that introduces paraparticles, a new category of quantum particle, distinct from fermions and bosons. Explore Ji-Wan Wong's mathematical breakthrough during the pandemic that led to this exciting theory. Learn about how these particles could enable new states of matter and might be created in exotic materials. The conversation delves into stricter rules of indistinguishability and the potential for experimental realization using quantum simulators. Theoretical yet tantalizing, paraparticles could reshape our understanding of quantum physics!
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Accidental Discovery Became A Theory
- Ji-Wan Wong discovered a surprising mathematical solution while bored during the pandemic and pursued its physical meaning.
- He and advisor Caden Hazard developed the idea into a theory proposing a new class of particles called paraparticles.
Two Fundamental Particle Behaviors
- Quantum particles fall into two known classes: fermions and bosons, distinguished by sign changes on exchange.
- That sign change leads to fundamentally different behaviors like Pauli exclusion for fermions and condensation for bosons.
Hidden States Can Hide New Particle Types
- Measurement probabilities square quantum states, which can hide exchange-phase differences like a minus sign.
- Hidden internal states could likewise disappear under measurement and allow a third particle type: paraparticles.