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A scientist observing a cryostat containing the copper cube.
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Recently, a chunk of copper (1 cubic meter) was cooled to the point that it became the world's coldest object. It was cooled to 6 millikelvins, or six-thousandths of a Kelvin. This is colder than how cold the Earth without the Sun! It took them 10 years to design and build the cryostat where the copper is frozen.
While it is interesting that they created this frozen specimen, it was not to set any World Records. They want to explain why there is so much more matter in the universe than antimatter. They reason that since matter and antimatter "cancel" each other, and they were equal in quantity at the beginning of the universe, meaning that the universe shouldn't be the way it is. However, matter came to dominate, which is beneficial towards us, seeing as how otherwise we wouldn't exist.
This experiment allows scientists to view neutrinos, and to see how they interact with other particles. I don't completely understand the science (they are professionals), but what I do know is that if the experiment is successful, it will define physics and cosmology for years.
I personally think that the discovery is one of many to follow about the beginnings of our universe and I believe that it is important to know how we came to be. Knowing how the universe was created can help answer some other questions, like: Are there other universes or What will happen to our universe? Also, the development of cryogenic technologies could improve the way we store our food.
The chamber is called Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events. The copper cube is surrounded by lead so no radiation gets in or out. As of right now, the particle detection chamber has not been built, but when it is, expect to see some sparks fly.
Link to article and picture: http://www.livescience.com/48514-coldest-object-created.html
I find this to intrigue me due to the fact the I am interested in space but besides that, I enjoy learning new ways to how and why things work in the universe. I read somewhere that neutrinos could possibly be the particle that is faster than the speed of light. Now whether or not that is true, it is still interesting to find out in future years. Back to your topic, the cooled chamber is really close to absolute zero, a state deemed to be impossible. This could lead to, as you said, technologies that have long-term preservation capabilities which would be very useful. Overall, your article looks fascinating and I wonder where they are going to go from here.
ReplyDeleteThis article is extremely interesting to me, especially since I have an interest in astronomy. It's fascinating to hear the amount of time and effort these scientists expended in creating the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events and the coldest object on Earth. I'll make sure to keep up with this news in the future and read about upcoming discoveries about the universe, neutrinos, physics, and more that are linked to the Cryogenic Underground Observatory for Rare Events.
ReplyDeleteWow! This is very interesting. This article proves how advanced science has become. It is also amazing to know that people have made something that is colder that what the Earth would be like if there was no sun. I have a couple of questions however. Do you know if the place they made this is a public place for tourists? Also, have they attempted to get to zero degrees kelvin?
ReplyDeleteThis article shows that we are one stop closer to solving many of the questions that boggles the minds of many people across the globe: how was the universe created and why are things the way they are? Also, this project of creating the coldest object on this planet shows how determined scientists are to seek out the answer to this question, as they spent over 10 years designing and executing this experiment. However, there is one thing I don't understand about this project, why did the scientists use copper?
ReplyDeleteOne of the oldest questions in human history is how the Universe came to be. I think we will never be able to fully understand this concept, or the mysteries behind it, but experiments like these help us get closer to solving this issue. It seems that people are willing to do fantastic things to find out more about the Universe, and this is one of the most interesting things I have seen. To create an object that is cooler than the Earth would be without the sun is an amazing concept to me.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I'd have to wonder how they would do this. To me, cooling something down is putting it in a refrigerator, but I'd have to think the method they used for this would have to be a lot more complex then the way a fridge works (which, by the way, I have no idea how fridges work). And when you talk about cooling things, you've got to wonder about the opposite side of the spectrum with heating objects. How hot can we make things, and what would the benefits to doing that be?
ReplyDeleteNice job! I definitely agree that the development of cryogenic technologies could improve the way we store our food, which could lead to many innovations across the world. This article shows how modern scientists are eager to pursue the path of knowledge that leads to the undiscovered realms of the universe. We are now one step closer to solving the puzzle of how the universe was created and why things are the way they are.
ReplyDeleteThis does spark some thoughts as to how these scientists actually lowered the temperature of the copper to that low of a temperature. Why copper, does it have a certain property which it allows it to get that cold? How cold is 6 thousandths of a Kelvin, how near is that to absolute zero? And how could this accomplishment be utilized in the future?
ReplyDeleteThis could be a major breakthrough for scientists about the knowledge for the universe. To think they just created the world's coldest object, what could be next? Could they create the world's hottest object, or could they create something even colder? This is just one breakthrough, of what could be many more.
ReplyDeleteWell the concept of matter and anti-matter and their methods of cancellation was something that interested me. That scientists have created the coldest object was pretty cool to know but it was a fact, an invention. How can we utilize this in the future? How can it serve to be useful?
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