PHYSICISTS have found a relatively easy way to make a Bose-Einstein
condensate, the bizarre state of ultra-cold atoms that is helping to shed light
on the quantum world.
When cooled to near absolute zero, atoms of certain elements merge into a
single quantum state to form a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC), a form of matter
that possesses many of the properties of a quantum wave. Physicists usually have
to make these condensates in complex “traps” comprising ultra-high-vacuum
chambers surrounded by laser beams and large magnetic coils.
But now scientists report that they can make a BEC much more easily—on
the…
