On Tuesday, August 1st, the second significant hardware development of the quantum science laboratory started its journey to the International Space Station aboard the Cygnus resupply spacecraft. The laboratory, about the size of a smaller refrigerator, is sometimes called the coldest place in the known universe because of its ability to cool atoms to almost absolute zero (−273.15°C). For this very reason, the equipment is also called Cold Atom Lab (CAL), or Cold Atom Laboratory in Hungarian.
The launch of the Cygnus resupply spacecraft on August 1, which, in addition to several cargoes, also delivered the Cold Atom Lab hardware upgrade to the International Space Station. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
A Cold Atom Lab
Dozens of scientists on Earth can use this device to conduct experiments to study quantum science, the fundamental behavior of the atoms and particles that make up the world around us.
Quantum science has led to the development of everyday technologies such as lasers, transistors (a key component of smartphones and computers), GPS satellites and medical devices. In the future, it can contribute to the development of space navigation and communication, among other things
The Cold Atom Lab, a quantum science facility on the International Space Station, is about the size of a small refrigerator. Dozens of experiments related to the quantum nature of atoms and particles were conducted in the laboratory. – Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
CAL, installed in 2018, was the first facility of its kind on the ISS. Although it does not require astronauts for its day-to-day operations, the crew has undergone an intensive learning process in order to be able to carry out the planned experiments on Earth in the station’s weightless environment. The new hardware, called the Quantum Observer Module, is expected to be installed by an ISS crew member this fall.
“Experiments at the Cold Atom Lab will one day allow us to measure gravity with unprecedented precision, an extremely valuable tool in space” – said Jason Williams, a scientist working for the Cold Atom Lab project at JPL.
One of the key ways to determine the density distribution of a planet or moon is to measure changes in gravity on the surface, so scientists can study the composition of different worlds from orbit. Another application of the technology is to follow the movement of water on Earth, which also affects the change in the gravity of our planet. By measuring gravity, scientists can also measure the acceleration of spacecraft more precisely, which can be used in precision space navigation.
In addition, quantum sensors can be used in space missions to study cosmological mysteries such as dark matter and dark energy. Dark matter is believed to hold matter together in the universe, while dark energy is an even more mysterious phenomenon that causes the universe to expand at an accelerating rate.
A member of the Cold Atom Lab team works on the Quantum Observer Module. – Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Examining atoms
Atoms and particles are the building blocks of all known matter in the universe, but they don’t always behave like the larger objects they make up. Their quantum state means they can oscillate between behaving as a solid object and as a wave, so they sometimes appear to be in two places at once. Thanks to a phenomenon called quantum tunneling, they are able to pass through physical obstacles immediately.
The Cold Atom Lab facilitates the study of the quantum behavior of atoms. One way to do this is to cool the atoms down to the lowest temperature achievable by matter, even below absolute zero degrees. This makes the atoms move more slowly, which makes them easier to examine. Moreover, some atoms can form a Bose-Einstein condensate together at this temperature. It is a thin gaseous substance consisting of bosons, which assumes a state in which their typically microscopic quantum behavior can also be observed on a macroscopic scale.
Scientists have been conducting experiments with cold atoms on Earth for decades, but the atoms tested in vacuum chambers fall quickly due to gravity. Inside the Cold Atom Lab, atoms float weightlessly for longer periods of time, giving scientists more time to manipulate them and study their behavior and evolution. Researchers can also shape ultracold atoms into bubbles and other unique shapes that are impossible to realize on Earth. In this way, it is possible to observe how different shapes influence the behavior of quantum materials.
By upgrading the Cold Atom Lab, they can produce twice or even three times more atoms within the equipment for each experiment. With more atoms, scientists can collect more data and expand experiments. This allows them to get a much more nuanced picture of the behavior of atoms, including their physical dynamics during their development and their interactions with each other. And because atomic clouds (the electric field around atoms) naturally cool as they expand. More atoms also means that the atoms can reach colder temperatures before completely disintegrating.
2023-08-16 16:06:07
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