Unveiling Bose-Einstein Condensates: A Revolutionary State of Matter
- He described how groups of bosons can share quantum states as temperature decreases.
- In 2001, physicists Eric Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle, and Carl Wieman received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on these condensates.
- Three common states of matter on Earth are solid, liquid, and gas.
The Discovery of a State of Matter
Einstein built on Bose’s statistics. He described how groups of bosons can share quantum states as temperature decreases. This work led to the discovery of Bose-Einstein Condensates, a new state of matter.
In 2001, physicists Eric Cornell, Wolfgang Ketterle, and Carl Wieman received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their work on these condensates.
Where Are the States of Matter Found?
Three common states of matter on Earth are solid, liquid, and gas. You can see them easily: a coffee mug (solid), the coffee inside (liquid), and the steam rising from it (gas). Plasma is the fourth state of matter; it’s found in lightning, neon bulbs, and stars, including the Sun.
Bose-Einstein Condensates are named after Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein. They predicted the existence of these condensates in the 1920s.
Today, NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division (BPS) researches quantum science. They conduct experiments at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. Since early 2018, they have created Bose-Einstein Condensates almost every day in space using the Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) on the International Space Station.
In CAL, scientists cool atoms to near absolute zero. These cold atoms move slowly, making them easier to study. In space’s microgravity environment, condensates can float. This floating allows for longer observation times.