Strange things happen at the frontiers of science. 2018 Rationalist.org — Evolution Tree content
Absolute zero, which is 0° Kelvin or -273.15°C and is the point where particles reach their lowest possible mobility, has intrigued scientists ever since this boundary was theorized.
It could be argued that reaching absolute zero is impossible. If you remove heat from a gas to cool it, the work required to eliminate the heat will increase. At this temperature, the work required to eliminate the added heat will reach infinity.
However, despite this, scientists are not giving up on trying. Recently, a group at the University of Basel developed a device that can bring us closer than ever before to the limits of the cold, to the strange physics near absolute zero.
The team developed a nanoelectronic chip that can be cooled to as low as 2.8 millikelvin. The device uses magnetic cooling via an applied magnetic field to reduce the chip's electrical connections to 150 microkelvin.
The team also cooled a thermometer using a magnetic field system designed to measure heat, thus keeping the chip cold for seven hours. This time frame allowed the team to explore this extremely cold region.
While the chip itself is impressive, there are even more exciting aspects to this experiment.
This chip holds enormous potential for helping us better understand what happens near absolute zero. This potential will continue to grow as long as researchers aim to improve the device.
Over the past year, experiments have explored the observable limit of how much we can theoretically cool an object (also known as the quantum response limit*).
Researchers were able to cool an object to less than one-fifth of a quantum by pushing it more than two decibels below the quantum response limit.
However, they later proved the third law of thermodynamics* by showing that cooling to absolute zero is mathematically impossible.
Because it is difficult to reach experimentally, the different physical properties of absolute zero have yet to be discovered.
With our ability to explore this new, extremely cold region, there is still much we have to learn about the physics at these temperatures.
In addition, understanding absolute zero could potentially improve modern electronics.
The performance of transistors is greatly affected by temperature. Conventional transistors can encounter many problems if they overheat.
Transistors used in computers, smart devices, and other commercially available electronic devices have been found to be much more efficient at extremely low temperatures, such as those near absolute zero.
The use of extremely low temperatures could not only improve home electronics but also support the technologies we use to explore the far reaches of the universe. Infrared cameras designed for space imaging would be able to operate with maximum sensitivity at the lowest possible temperatures.
These temperatures could also lead to significant advancements in medical imaging technologies.
*The Third Law of Thermodynamics: “The entropy of an ideal crystal is exactly zero at absolute zero Kelvin.” That is, at -273.15 degrees Celsius, the entropy of an ideal crystal is exactly zero, and matter is stable and motionless at this temperature. This temperature is also equivalent to the temperature of space. This explanation is also called “Tofur’s Law”. *Quantum Backaction Limit
Translation: Ayşe Ege Palaz
References:
1.ScienceAlert, “New device lets scientists explore the weird physics near absolute zero” < http://www.sciencealert.com/new-device-lets-scientists-explore-the-weird-physics-near-absolute-zero > 2.Futurism, “Device scientists explore physics near absolute zero” < https://futurism.com/device-scientists-explore-physics-near-absolute-zero/ >
Originally published on Medium on April 24, 2023. English translation of “Yeni Bir Cihaz ile Mutlak Sıfıra Bir Adım Daha Yakınız!”.