Laser pulse creates exotic order in quantum material

Water flows, ice is rigid—this clear difference between the liquid and solid state of substances is part of our everyday experience. It follows from the very regular arrangement of atoms and molecules in crystalline solids, which is lost when they melt. Less clear, however, is the structure of “liquid crystals”—highly interesting states that combine order and disorder in such a way that important applications such as LCDs (liquid crystal displays) are possible.