Amidst the mysteries of cosmosa discovery gave Earth the title of “coldest place in the observable universe”.
Surprisingly, we’re not looking into the freezing depths of space, but rather a laboratory right here on our planet.
In it, scientists managed to reach a low temperature of 38 picokelvins, approaching absolute zero, in a study of the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC).
Record negative temperature reached in Germany
German scientists reached a temperature close to absolute zero – Image: Canva Pro/Reproduction
Temperature is a critical measurement in many fields of science, and the search for extreme cold has prompted scientists to explore conditions close to absolute zero, in which molecules almost cease their movement.
The researchers reached thermal levels of 38 picokelvins when studying the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), the fifth state of matter.
The experiment, published in Physical Review Letters and conducted in a laboratory in Germany, involved a cloud of 100,000 rubidium atoms, kept in a magnetic field inside a vacuum chamber.
By cooling such a cloud to form the BEC, the atoms begin to act like a single large-scale atom, revealing intriguing quantum phenomena.
The search for more intense conditions led scientists to a European Space Agency (ESA) launch tower, where they performed a controlled free fall from the BEC.
During the fall, the team quickly turned the magnetic field on and off, allowing the condensate to float in weightlessness. The result was a record temperature of 38 picokelvins, maintained for approximately 2 seconds.
The feat puts into perspective humanity’s incredible ability to create conditions colder than those naturally found in space.
Earth, in this German laboratory, momentarily became the most cold of the observable universe, surpassing previous records.
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