For the first time, researchers have directly visualized the quantum behavior that drives superconductivity, a state in which paired electrons allow electricity to flow with zero resistance at very low temperatures.

But what they observed came as a surprise.

In a study published April 15 in Physical Review Letters , the team captured images of individual atoms forming pairs inside a specially prepared gas cooled to nearly absolute zero -- the unreachable limit to how cold anything can get. This system, known as a Fermi gas, lets scientists replace electrons with atoms so they can study superconductivity in a highly controlled environment.

Unexpected Quantum "Dance" Between Paired Particles

After the atoms paired up, the researchers saw something unusual. The pairs did not behave independently.…