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Researchers Chill Mirror to Near Absolute Zero

Posted by samzenpus on from the barely-moving dept.

An anonymous reader writes "Physicists have managed to cool a dime-sized mirror to within one degree of absolute zero. This is the lowest laser-induced freeze yet achieved with a visible object. Laser cooling involves firing pulses of light at a specific frequency that exactly matches an atom's motions."

5 of 202 comments (clear)

  1. Re:Confirms quantum theory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    cause Einstein was such a quantum theorist.

  2. Re:but by Beefslaya · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Actually, I thought it was measured in Kelvin?

  3. Re:Confirms quantum theory by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    It confirms our understanding of light and matter and how they interact. You would think that shining light (energy) on something would warm it up. If it cools it down, something strange is going on. You must not be familiar with how waves interact. The light waves and the material's "atom waves" are interacting so that maximum destructive interference is achieved; same frequency but half a wavelength out of phase of each other. The resulting wave of the atoms in the material should then have close to zero energy because other waves in the system may add constructively interfere with the atom waves.

    In my opinion, scientists may be able to approach absolute zero but they will never effectively reach it. They may hit a point at which it can be proclaimed as "good enough", but since the entire system must contain no energy and energy will always leak into the system from the universe, absolute zero will not be reached in actuality.

    The benefits of moving closer to absolute zero are that we can better understand exactly what atoms do when macro-forces are canceled out and only micro-forces apply, how the building blocks relate to each other in an energy-less environment, and if any other "laws" apply to our universe that we just weren't able to witness otherwise.
  4. Re:Other uses... by Boogaroo · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Only if they can get lasers to stop burning 10x the amount of energy that you put in to get it to fire.
    (I know that some are more efficient than others, but you all know there's no free lunch)

    I'd be willing to bet that the massive amount of power required to cool all the air in your house would make you bankrupt in less than a year(and really piss off your power company).

  5. Re:Confirms quantum theory by asninn · · Score: 2, Insightful

    In my opinion, scientists may be able to approach absolute zero but they will never effectively reach it. They may hit a point at which it can be proclaimed as "good enough", but since the entire system must contain no energy and energy will always leak into the system from the universe, absolute zero will not be reached in actuality.

    IANAP, but doesn't it immediately follow from Heisenberg's uncertainty principle that absolute zero is not reachable, as well?

    --
    butter the donkey