![]() ![]() At low enough temperatures, liquid helium, for example, morphs into a superfluid-a liquid that flows without the resistance of friction. Quantum mechanics also means that the closer these researchers creep toward absolute zero, the weirder a substance’s properties become. And even if you could get there, quantum mechanics dictates that the atoms and molecules would still have some irreducible motion. To reach zero kelvins, you would require an infinite amount of work. The reason has to do with the amount of work necessary to remove heat from a substance, which increases substantially the colder you try to go. There’s a catch, though: absolute zero is impossible to reach. Absolute zero, technically known as zero kelvins, equals −273.15 degrees Celsius, or -459.67 Fahrenheit, and marks the spot on the thermometer where a system reaches its lowest possible energy, or thermal motion. The team at the University of Cambridge, however, monitors energy on a more extreme level as they try to approach absolute zero-the coldest temperature allowed by the laws of thermodynamics. ![]() And because this energy comes from the movement of atoms and molecules within a substance, that means the soup molecules are moving more than the ones in the ice cream. But what people actually experience when they distinguish hot from cold is the amount of thermal energy that a system contains-an ice cream cone, for instance, contains less thermal energy than a bowl of hot soup. Working in this environment of organized chaos, the Quantum Matter team at the University of Cambridge’s Cavendish Laboratory is beginning to unveil the exotic quantum properties of supercold materials in a fridge the size of an SUV.īecause humans can easily perceive the difference between hot and cold, temperature is a feature of science that people have a fairly intuitive grasp on. Under a tangled mess of pipes, tubes, gauges, metal plates, pumps and duct tape lies a place colder than outer space. ![]()
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