Quantum gas studies could improve precise measurement

Removing the heat energy of an ordinary gas slows down the atoms so the gas condenses to form a quantum cloud – known as a Bose-Einstein condensate – which is no bigger than a few microns and far cooler than outer space.  This new state of matter, first created in the US in 1995, is typically trapped inside magnetic fields and laser light, so that its wave characteristics can be analysed.

According to a statement, the Newcastle-Durham research team has received a £1m grant from EPSRC to take this work to the next stage and explore the properties and potential applications of these ultra-cold atoms. 

The work was presented at a conference yesterday, June 26 to mark the launch of the Joint Quantum Centre Durham-Newcastle, which brought together experts in physics, chemistry, mathematics and engineering from two of the UK’s leading universities.

Newcastle University’s Prof Nick Proukakis said, ‘Quantum gases is a relatively new area of research, but has rapidly become a well-established and diverse field, working to understand the very essence of matter – how it behaves in its simplest state.