Scientists have broken the record for the lowest temperature ever measured in a laboratory: They dropped magnetized gas 393ft (120m) down a tower to achieve the bone-chilling temperature.
German researchers were investigating the quantum properties a fifth state of matter, BoseEinstein condensate (BEC), which is a derivative gas that only exists under extremely cold conditions.
The BEC phase is when matter begins to behave as one large atom. This makes it a fascinating subject for quantum physicists interested in the mechanics and behavior of subatomic particles.
Temperature can be described as a measure molecular vibration. The more molecules move, the higher the collective temperature.
Absolute zero is therefore the point at which all molecular movement stops. It can be minus 459.67 degrees Fahrenheit or minus 273.15 degree C. Scientists even created a scale for extreme cold temperatures called the Kelvin scale. Zero Kelvin corresponds with absolute zero.
Some strange things happen when you get close to absolute zero. According to 2017 research in Nature Physics, light can be literally poured into containers. According to Nature Communications' 2017 study, supercooled helium no longer experiences friction at extremely low temperatures. Researchers at NASA's Cold Atom Lab have seen atoms in two different places simultaneously.
Scientists trapped around 100,000 rubidium atoms inside a vacuum chamber to create a record-breaking experiment. They then cooled the chamber to 2 billionthsof a degree Celsius above absolute 0 which would have been an international record, according to NewAtlas.
However, this was not enough for the researchers who wanted to push the boundaries of physics. To get even colder they had to replicate deep-space conditions. The team then took their setup to Bremen, Germany's European Space Agency's Bremen Drop Tower. This is a microgravity research centre at the University of Bremen.
They slowed down the molecular motion of rubidium atoms by dropping the vacuum chamber into free fall and rapidly switching off the magnetic field, allowing it to float unhindered by gravity.
The resultant BEC was 38 picokelvins 38 trillionthsof a Kelvin for approximately 2 seconds. This is "an absolute record", according to the team, which they reported Aug. 30, in Physical Review Letters.
Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, achieved the previous record of 36,000,000ths of a Kelvin using specialized lasers.
The Boomerang Nebula is the coldest known natural location in the universe. It lies in the Centaurus constellation, approximately 5,000 light-years from Earth. According to the European Space Agency, its average temperature is -272 C (about one Kelvin).
In a statement, the researchers said that they were theoretically capable of maintaining this temperature for up to 17 seconds in weightless conditions like space. Researchers at MIT believe that scientists may be able to build quantum computers using ultra-cold temperatures.
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