Scientists at NIST and the University of Colorado have created the first Fermi degenerate gas of atoms, a new state of matter where atoms behave like waves. This achievement builds on earlier work creating Bose-Einstein condensates, but involves cooling fermions (like electrons and protons) instead of bosons.
The researchers cooled a million potassium atoms to just 300 nanokelvin using laser cooling and magnetic confinement. Unlike bosons, which form a super-atom when cooled, fermions avoid each other due to the Pauli exclusion principle. By cooling fermions in two different spin states, the researchers were able to overcome this problem and create the Fermi degenerate gas.
This new state of matter could lead to better understanding of fermions, which are fundamental building blocks of matter. It may also improve atomic clock technology and help shed light on superconductivity. The achievement continues NIST’s mission to develop and apply technology, measurements and standards.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/1999/09/nistcu-scientists-first-observe-new-quantum-gas
Keywords: Degeneracy, Fermions, Quantum, Superfluid, Atoms
