Absolute zero is the theoretical temperature at which molecular motion stops, and scientists have come close to producing it in laboratories. Cooling matter to these temperatures has led to the discovery of a new state of matter, superfluids, and Bose-Einstein condensates. These condensates challenge the laws of physics and are still not fully understood. At this point, atoms “collapse” into the lowest energy state and behave like waves.
When a person feels something hot or cold, what they feel is the energy that the object radiates due to motion on a molecular scale. For example, the molecules in a pot of boiling water move much faster than those in an ice cube or glass of cold water. Physicists theorize that there is a temperature at which molecular motion stops or is reduced to a point so low that it is unable to transfer any energy that could be considered heat. This theoretical temperature is known as absolute zero.
Absolute zero is theoretical because it can never be reached. Scientists, however, have come very close to producing this temperature in laboratories. The temperature is actually -459.67°F (-273.15°C). On the Kelvin scale, its value is 0°. While this temperature has never been reached in a laboratory or observed in space, scientists have been able to observe the strange behavior and properties of matter as it reaches temperatures approaching it.
One of the unexpected results of the cooling of matter very close to absolute zero has been the discovery of a new state of matter. Solid, liquid, and gas are the common states, but when matter, especially a fluid like liquid helium, reaches these incredibly low temperatures, it loses all of its viscosity and becomes a superfluid. These strange fluids exhibit the ability to flow against gravity and, to some extent, move from their containers into others.
Another phase of matter, called a Bose-Einstein condensate, can also be produced at these extremely low temperatures. Bose-Einstein condensates can only be seen when the temperature of a sample is brought to within a billionth of 1° of absolute zero, and consequently only the most specialized laboratories can attempt to study this fragile state of matter. Furthermore, these condensates have so far only been produced from microscopic amounts of matter, on the order of about 10,000 or fewer atoms. They are related to superfluids and behave in somewhat similar ways, but are usually produced from matter in the gaseous state.
The laws of physics governing Bose-Einstein condensates are not fully understood and appear to challenge what scientists know about the nature of matter. The best way to understand these condensates without a thorough understanding of physics is to understand that when matter reaches this point, the atoms in it “collapse” into the lowest possible energy state and also start behaving as if they weren’t longer discrete particles. , but rather waves. Physicists have much more study and research ahead of them to fully understand this state of matter, which was only first observed in 1995.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
