China’s Space Station Cools Atoms to a Record-Low 9.7 Trillionths of a Degree Above Absolute Zero
Learn how a lab packed into a space station cabinet cooled 20,000 atoms to a record low and opened new possibilities for studying gravity and dark matter.
In 2018, China's space station set a new record for cooling atoms to an unprecedented low temperature of just 9.7 trillionths of a degree above absolute zero. This groundbreaking achievement took scientists about 15 years to accomplish, with equipment squeezed into a cabinet aboard the orbital laboratory. Utilizing rubidium atoms trapped with laser light, the team created and observed a Bose-Einstein condensate – a state where atoms share a collective quantum state, enabling observation of effects typically seen in individual particles.
The experiment, which lasted seven seconds and was conducted in a weightless environment, marked a significant milestone in the precise manipulation of ultracold atoms. Cooling atoms slows their motion, making them easier to study and investigate quantum physics. By reaching a record-low temperature and allowing the cloud to expand freely, researchers gained insights into how these atoms behave under near-weightless conditions.
This innovation could pave the way for more precise instruments for navigation, measuring Earth's gravitational field, and exploring quantum simulation and dark matter.
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