Bose-Einstein condensate simulation. Computer simulation of vortices forming within a spinning Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). A BEC is a state of mat
Bose-Einstein condensate simulation. Computer simulation of vortices forming within a spinning Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). A BEC is a state of matter that can arise at very low temperatures. Atoms are trapped using laser beams and magnets, and supercooled almost to absolute zero. At these temperatures, the atoms all have the same quantum energy state, and are indistinguishable. They coalesce, behaving as if they were one single 'super atom.' During the process, two laser beams are rotated rapidly around each other, causing a stirring action that generates vortices in the atom cluster and facilitates the formation of the condensate. This simulation helped to confirm that BEC's are superfluids - a kind of liquid/gas that flows without friction.
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Photo credit: © NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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