In quantum physics, this is a phrase used to describe the seemingly magical feat of putting a subatomic particle in two places at once. The experiment was carried out by two physicists, Serge Haroche of France and David Wineland of the U.S., which allowed the scientists to manipulate the very smallest particles of matter and light to observe strange behaviour that previously could only be imagined in equations and thought exercises. The parlour trick experiment makes it possible to measure quantum particles without destroying them, leading to the potential to build a new kind of computer far more powerful than any seen before.

The discovery of the parlour trick helped the two physicists win the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physics.