What happened?
In an experiment conducted at the University of Bremen, a research team
managed to create what they call one of the coldest places in the universe. For
a few seconds, a temperature of 38 picocelvins was measured, 38 trillion parts
of a degree above absolute zero. It is a new cold record on earth.
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How did it happen?
The researchers inserted a cloud of rubidium atoms into a vacuum chamber
and held it in place using a magnetic field, New Atlas writes. They then cooled
the atoms to form a Bose-Einstein condensate, a kind of quantum gas.
Already on the spot, the temperature was a couple of billionths of a degree
above absolute zero. But to reach even lower temperatures, the research team
used the drop tower in Bremen. It is a 146 meter high plant where there is a
chamber in which it is possible to achieve a free fall in the absence of
gravity of over 100 meters.
The researchers took the cloud with cooled rubidium atoms and dropped it,
while the magnetic field was repeatedly turned off and on. It causes the gas to
expand alternately, contract alternately. Eventually, it causes the molecules
to move slower and the temperature to drop.
In the drop tower, the low temperature can only be maintained for a few
seconds, but the researchers believe they can theoretically maintain the same
temperature for about 17 seconds under the right circumstances.
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Because it is
important?
Of course, the purpose of the experiment wasn’t just to break a temperature
record. Being able to observe how atoms behave at very low temperatures is
important in quantum mechanical research, writes Popular Mechanics.
In this particular case, the research team initially wanted to be able to
observe the wave properties of atoms. They published their findings in an
article in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters.
Source: https://remonews.com/swedeneng/they-broke-world-records-in-the-cold-with-the-help-of-quantum-gas/
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