Abstract:
Two groups of researchers have cooled a cloud of atoms until they became what was essentially one big super-atom. Although not the very first so-called Bose-Einstein condensate to be made, it was constructed using novel atoms. These atoms paired-up as they cooled, changing the properties of the gas and allowing an insight into its nature. Further understanding is also expected to revolutionise applications in fields that include precision measurement and nanotechnology - making tiny structures such as those used in computer chips. More