{
  "id": 19411664,
  "title": "China’s Space Station Cools Atoms to a Record-Low 9.7 Trillionths of a Degree Above Absolute Zero",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/10/chinas-space-station-cools-atoms-to-a-record-low-9-7-trillionths-of-a",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-11-10T23:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Discover Magazine",
    "slug": "discover-magazine",
    "url": "https://www.discovermagazine.com/china-s-space-station-cools-atoms-to-a-record-low-9-7-trillionths-of-a-degree-above-absolute-zero-49926"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": "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.",
  "key_points": [
    "China's space station cooled atoms to 9.7 trillionths above absolute zero in 2018.",
    "Researchers achieved Bose-Einstein condensate with laser-trapped rubidium atoms.",
    "Experiment expanded atomic cloud to study quantum physics in weightless conditions."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}