Scientists have observed the fifth state of matter in space for the first time, providing an unprecedented glimpse that might help solve some of the most intractable quantum universe puzzles.
The “Bose-Einstein” capacitors, which were predicted by Albert Einstein and the Indian mathematician Satendra Nath Bose almost a century ago, are formed when atoms of certain elements are cooled to almost absolute zero (0 Kelvin minus 273.15 degrees Celsius).
At this point, the atoms become a single entity with quantum properties where each particle also acts as a wave of matter.
These capacitors extend the dividing line between the microscopic world, which is controlled by forces such as gravity and the microscopic plane, and controlled by quantum mechanisms.
Scientists believe that capacitors contain vital evidence for mysterious phenomena such as dark energy, the unknown energy that is believed to be behind the accelerating expansion of the universe.
But it is very fragile. The minimum interaction with the outside world is sufficient to heat it after the condensation threshold.
This makes it virtually impossible to study it on Earth so that gravity interferes with the magnetic fields required to keep it in place for inspection.
And a team from the American Space Agency (NASA) revealed on Thursday the first results of experiments conducted on capacitors in the International Space Station where particles can be dealt with far from the restrictions imposed by the planet earth, in a study published in the “Nature” scientific journal.
“Small gravity allows us to trap atoms with much weaker forces because we don’t have to support them against gravity,” Robert Thompson of the California Institute of Technology told AFP.
This study documents stunning differences in the properties of capacitors created on Earth and those on the International Space Station.
Among these differences, the capacitors in the ground laboratories stayed some milliseconds before they dissipated.
As for the space station, it stayed for more than a second, giving the team an unprecedented opportunity to study its properties.
Weak gravity also allowed it to be handled by weaker magnetic fields, which quickly cooled off and allowed to be seen more clearly.
The head of the research team, David Evelyn, told France Presse that the study of capacitors opened a set of research opportunities (…) including general relativity, dark energy, gravitational waves, navigation in spacecraft, mineral exploration under the moon and other planetary bodies. “
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