Quantum Physicists Get Close To Absolute Zero

grasshopper69 writes: "At Rice University, a group of researchers have make a ground-breaking step towards more knowledge about absolute zero. One group of the atomic particles shrank and the other stabilized during the cooling, a quantum condition that simulates the same process that keeps dense cold stars from completely collapsing under their own intense gravity, according to this article at cnn.com."

Re:Will this reduce decoherence?

[quoll]

Well I'm about to start my postgraduate study in this area, so I can't say that I'm an expert yet... but I have to say, that's a darn good idea! If you don't mind, I might even do some research into this.

Will this reduce decoherence?

[quoll]

This could have important ramifications for quantum computing. The biggest obstacle to quantum computing is decoherence as the particles encoding the quantum state interact with nearby particles. At temperatures this low the interaction is much, much less.

Maybe we'll be able to build quantum computers sooner than we thought?

Re:Absolute zero.

[gazz]

please.

Re:Will this reduce decoherence?

[gazz]

perhaps even using this technique a cluster of atoms could be created to sheild any computational atoms - reducing any external interactions as well - a quantic bubble filter.... or maybe that's just speculation

Low temperatures? Try the Bose-Einstein condensate

[Vuarnet]

If you're into cold matter stuff and near-to-zero tempratures, chech this link [colorado.edu] to see some nifty research done in Boulder, Colorado.

Pretty interesting, even if a bit more theoretical and less practical than the article we're discussing here.

You might think absolute zero is cold

[Ch3t]

You might think absolute zero is cold, but when you add the Wind Chill Factor, watch out!

This is not so cold.

[Caid Raspa]

one-fourth of a millionth degree above the absolute zero.

Well, one could get a lot closer. Currently, the Finns are holding the world record [boojum.hut.fi], and are below one billionth of a Kelvin.

Absolute zero != zero energy

[Spamalamadingdong]

Absolute zero is only the lowest energy a system can achieve, thermally. There's a minimum beneath which you can't go, just like there is a lowest energy level an electron can have in an atom. It still has energy, it just can't get rid of any more because it also has to obey minimums of angular momentum.

It's very interesting that the quantum behavior of condensates has now been examined both with bosons (which can all be in the same quantum state) and fermions (which must obey the Fermi exclusion principle).
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Mea culpa

[Spamalamadingdong]

Pauli's exclusion principle exists and the other does not; I mis-attributed Pauli's principle to Fermi because it only works with fermions. This is what I get for trusting my memory too much.
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Re:This is not so cold.

[Cheese_isgood]

True work could be done but we're on the right track.