Scientists on the International Space Station (ISS) have obtained an exotic fifth state of matter that does not exist in nature. The results of the research were published in the scientific journal magazine Nature.
The four well-known states of matter are gas, liquid, solid and plasma. However, there is another form of quantum gas, also known as a Bose-Einstein condensate, that has not yet been detected in the natural environment.
Bose-Einstein condensates are produced in ultracold laboratories where clouds of atoms are heated to near absolute zero at -273 °C using lasers and magnets. Under these conditions, atoms slow down, their edges begin to merge, and researchers can observe quantum effects. On Earth, gravity causes matter to disperse immediately after scientific equipment is turned off, but in the microgravity of space such compositions remain stable.
During the latest experiment on the ISS, experts for the first time obtained quantum gas from not one but two types of atoms, based on potassium and rubidium. Scientists said that such gases could be used to develop space quantum technologies in the future.
“We can create sensors that are extremely sensitive to small rotations and essentially use these cold atoms in Bose-Einstein condensates to make gyroscopes. These gyroscopes can give us a stable reference point that can be used for navigation in deep space,” said Nicholas Bigelow, co-author of the study and professor of physics and optics.
Physicists before managed Cool a substance to a record low temperature.