#NASA Cold Atom Lab

[scifi4wifi]

The Coolest Experiment In Space - A 5th State of Matter

Bose-Einstein condensates, a quantum gas made of two kinds of atoms, was created in the International Space Station’s (ISS) microgravity. The gas can be used to make super-sensitive sensors, and used for new experiments. In the NASA Cold Atom Lab facility aboard the ISS, researchers were able to produce Bose-Einstein condensates, a quantum state of matter made from an atomic gas cooled to…

[spacenutspod]

This episode is brought to you by the support of Dragonball Legends. Download and play for free from the Apple App store or Google Play. SpaceTime Series 26 Episode 144 *Explaining why galaxies hang out with their own kind A new study may have solved one of the most perplexing mysteries in astronomy -- why galaxies in our neighbourhood hang out with their own kind. *NASA’s Cold Atom Lab Sets Stage for Quantum Chemistry in Space For the first time in space, scientists have produced a quantum gas containing two types of atoms. *North Korea launches a new spy satellite North Korea claims its successfully launched a new spy satellite. *The Science Report Dust storms are increasing dramatically in frequency in Australia. Study claims the impact of screens on children and show a mix of small risks and benefits. Footprints discovered in Victoria show the amazing diversity of Australia's early bird population. Skeptics guide to the House Oversight Committee on UFOs Listen to SpaceTime on your favorite podcast app with our universal listen link: https://spacetimewithstuartgary.com/listen and access show links via https://linktr.ee/biteszHQ Additionally, listeners can support the podcast and gain access to bonus content by becoming a SpaceTime crew member through www.bitesz.supercast.com or through premium versions on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. Details on our website at https://spacetimewithstuartgary.com For more SpaceTime and show links: https://linktr.ee/biteszHQ For more podcasts visit our HQ at https://bitesz.com #space #astronomy #podcast

[michaelgabrill]

NASAs Cold Atom Lab Sets Stage for Quantum Chemistry in Space

The remotely operated facility aboard the International Space Station has created another tool that researchers can use to probe the fundamental nature of the world around us. For the first time in space, scientists have produced a quantum gas containing two types of atoms. Accomplished with NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory aboard the International Space Station, […] from NASA https://ift.tt/f5q61vk

[mindblowingscience]

Aboard the International Space Station, there's a compact lab about the size of a small refrigerator that makes some of the coldest stuff in the universe. It's called the Cold Atom Lab, and for some time, scientists have been using this chamber to research the strange quantum properties of atoms in microgravity. But on Wednesday (Nov. 15), they announced they've reached a milestone. Operated remotely by a team with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in California, the Cold Atom Lab officially generated a quantum gas containing two species of atoms. This could ultimately open the door for totally new space-based experiments in quantum chemistry. When thinking about states of matter, gases, liquids, solids and plasmas are the four well known ones — but there's also an exotic fifth state of matter, the Bose-Einstein condensate, that was first discovered in the 1990s. This state hasn't been found in nature, but scientists can create it. Bose-Einstein condensates are generated in ultracold labs like the Cold Atom Lab, where lasers or magnets help chill a cloud of atoms close to absolute zero, or -459 degrees Fahrenheit (-273 degrees Celsius). That's the coldest temperature possible in the universe. In this state, atoms slow down, their edges blend together, and scientists can observe quantum effects that are usually very hard to investigate.

Continue Reading.

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New SpaceTime out Friday

SpaceTime 20241213 Series 27 Episode 150

Venus was never habitable according to new study

A new study has shown that the planet Venus has never been habitable, despite decades of speculation that the Earth’s sister planet was once much more like Earth than it is today.

Perseverance exploring the Jezero crater rim

NASA’s Mars Perseverance rover has been continuing its sightseeing tour of the Jezero crater rim, with this week's travel itinerary including an up-close look at Pico Turquino.

NASA Demonstrates ‘Ultra-Cool’ Quantum Sensor for First Time in Space

NASA’s Cold Atom Lab, a first-of-its-kind facility aboard the International Space Station, has taken another step toward revolutionizing how quantum science can be used in space.

The Science Report

Permafrost thawing could lead to an increase in wildfires in Arctic and sub-arctic regions.

New DNA forensics to help fight crime.

Earth’s oldest, largest, and most experienced animals being wiped out by human activity.

Skeptics guide to new Nessie images.

SpaceTime covers the latest news in astronomy & space sciences.

The show is available every Monday, Wednesday and Friday through Apple Podcasts (itunes), Stitcher, Google Podcast, Pocketcasts, SoundCloud, Bitez.com, YouTube, your favourite podcast download provider, and from www.spacetimewithstuartgary.com

SpaceTime is also broadcast through the National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio and on both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

SpaceTime daily news blog: http://spacetimewithstuartgary.tumblr.com/

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SpaceTime -- A brief history

SpaceTime is Australia’s most popular and respected astronomy and space science news program – averaging over two million downloads every year. We’re also number five in the United States.  The show reports on the latest stories and discoveries making news in astronomy, space flight, and science.  SpaceTime features weekly interviews with leading Australian scientists about their research.  The show began life in 1995 as ‘StarStuff’ on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s (ABC) NewsRadio network.  Award winning investigative reporter Stuart Gary created the program during more than fifteen years as NewsRadio’s evening anchor and Science Editor.  Gary’s always loved science. He studied astronomy at university and was invited to undertake a PHD in astrophysics, but instead focused on his career in journalism and radio broadcasting. Gary’s radio career stretches back some 34 years including 26 at the ABC. He worked as an announcer and music DJ in commercial radio, before becoming a journalist and eventually joining ABC News and Current Affairs. He was part of the team that set up ABC NewsRadio and became one of its first on air presenters. When asked to put his science background to use, Gary developed StarStuff which he wrote, produced and hosted, consistently achieving 9 per cent of the national Australian radio audience based on the ABC’s Nielsen ratings survey figures for the five major Australian metro markets: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.  The StarStuff podcast was published on line by ABC Science -- achieving over 1.3 million downloads annually.  However, after some 20 years, the show finally wrapped up in December 2015 following ABC funding cuts, and a redirection of available finances to increase sports and horse racing coverage.  Rather than continue with the ABC, Gary resigned so that he could keep the show going independently.  StarStuff was rebranded as “SpaceTime”, with the first episode being broadcast in February 2016.  Over the years, SpaceTime has grown, more than doubling its former ABC audience numbers and expanding to include new segments such as the Science Report -- which provides a wrap of general science news, weekly skeptical science features, special reports looking at the latest computer and technology news, and Skywatch – which provides a monthly guide to the night skies. The show is published three times weekly (every Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and available from the United States National Science Foundation on Science Zone Radio, and through both i-heart Radio and Tune-In Radio.

[lexosaurus]

The Phantom Martian: Chapter 3

Okay I don't think you guys FULLY UNDERSTAND that I decided to use hydrogen fuel cells for water generation because I stumbled across it while researching atom ionization (so, ya know, I could be sure I wasn't destroying the whole camp) and THEN like 2-3 weeks into me doing this, I was getting math help from the internet and since most "educational" sites are not free I had to browse Quora's answers, and in one of them someone had posted a link to an old NASA article all about how they used hydrogen fuel cells for power/water generation on their Apollo missions.

I was. SO PUMPED.

Anyway, here's chapter 3! This is a crossover between Danny Phantom x The Martian, but you do not have to have read/watched The Martian to understand the fic.

xxxx

Summary: When Astronaut Mark Watney went to Mars, he knew there was a chance he'd never come home. Now, though, he's determined to last long enough for NASA to save him because this whole dying for science thing is not as fun as it sounds.

Meanwhile, Danny Fenton is just trying to keep his identity a secret amidst a potential crisis with his powers. Seriously, what's up with that weird current under his skin? Why is he having so much trouble controlling it? And why does it feel so familiar...?

In a fit of determination (and possible stupidity), Danny goes to Mars to save Watney, only to add to both their crises when he arrives and can't get home. Will NASA save them? Will Danny have a home to return to if they do?

Chapter WC: 4482

Fic Tags: Danny Fenton & Mark Watney, Canon Divergence, Ecton AU

excerpt under the cut

xxxx

“So, what's the issue?” Valerie asked, leaning against the counter.

“What issue?” Danny wrapped his hands around the mug, his fingers tingling as the heat reacted to the strange cold of his skin. This was one of the mugs she'd nicked from her dad's office, judging by the Axiom Labs engraved on the side. 

Valerie drummed her fingers against her own mug. “You wouldn't be so antsy if there wasn't an issue.”

Danny frowned, suddenly realizing that he had no clue where to start. How to voice what he was feeling. It was just…so strange. The power that seemed to constantly flow right under his skin.

Or, rather, on his skin.

“Well?”

He flinched, blinking as he'd realized once again that he was spacing out, as he had seemed to do all too often the past few weeks.

“Um…I'm not sure how to explain it.”

“It's a ghost thing?” Valerie guessed.

Danny guessed it was a half-joke, as it's a ghost thing had become a universal “just trust me, bro” over the last few months, developing into somewhat of an inside joke between the two.

But this time, he couldn't manage the smile. Instead, his brows furrowed as he turned his attention back to his steaming mug. He opened his mouth, closed it. Then opened it again, taking a shuddering breath as he choked out, “It's about how I died.”

[jcmarchi]

New tools will help study quantum chemistry aboard the International Space Station - Technology Org

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/new-tools-will-help-study-quantum-chemistry-aboard-the-international-space-station-technology-org/

New tools will help study quantum chemistry aboard the International Space Station - Technology Org

At NASA’s Cold Atom Lab facility aboard the International Space Station, an international team of scientists produced a quantum gas containing two types of atoms for the first time in space. The achievement, outlined in a new study published in Nature, marks another step toward bringing quantum technologies currently available on Earth into space.

The Cold Atom Lab on the International Space Station produces clouds of “ultracold” atoms, the absolute coldest temperature that matter can reach. Through experiments at the lab controlled remotely on Earth, a team of international researchers produced Bose-Einstein condensates—a quantum state of matter made from an atomic gas cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero. Illustration by JPL/NASA

Through experiments controlled remotely on Earth, the researchers produced Bose-Einstein condensates—a quantum state of matter made from an atomic gas cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero. Nicholas Bigelow, the Lee A. DuBridge, Professor of Physics and a professor of optics at the University of Rochester, says these quantum tools can be used to enhance the study of the essence of quantum matter, aid in the navigation between planets, and help solve mysteries of the universe and deepen our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature.

Reaping the benefits of zero gravity

“There are a lot of things in fundamental physics where being in the presence of gravity actually limits how precise a measurement you can make,” says Bigelow, director of the NASA-funded Consortium for Ultracold Atoms in Space. “Removing gravity allows you to make a much longer observation time to get more precision in the measurement, and it allows you to see delicate effects that might be masked by gravity.”

With this new capability, the Cold Atom Lab can now study not only the quantum properties of individual atoms, but also quantum chemistry, which focuses on how different types of atoms interact and combine in a quantum state. Researchers will be able to conduct a wider range of experiments with the Cold Atom Lab and learn more about the nuances of performing them in microgravity. That knowledge will be essential for harnessing the one-of-a-kind facility to develop new space-based quantum technologies.

One mystery the scientists aim to chip away at involves the equivalence principle, which holds that gravity affects all objects the same regardless of their mass. Part of Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity—the backbone of modern gravitational physics—the principle doesn’t neatly match up with the laws of quantum physics, which describe behaviors of small objects like atoms. Scientists have already experimented with atom interferometers on Earth to see if the equivalence principle holds true at atomic scales, but they can test it more precisely in space at the Cold Atom Lab.

A route to understanding dark energy—and to better sensors and clocks

Bigelow says the scientists plan to run experiments using a two-atom interferometer and quantum gases to measure gravity with high precision to learn about the nature of dark energy, the mysterious driver behind the universe’s accelerating expansion. What they learn could lead to developing precision sensors for various applications.

“We could make sensors extremely sensitive to small rotations and essentially use these cold atoms in the Bose-Einstein condensate to make gyroscopes,” says Bigelow. “These gyroscopes could give us a fixed reference point in space that could be used for deep space navigation. We’re also developing several things that could lead to better clocks in space, which are crucial to so many things in modern life such as high-speed internet and GPS.”

Source: University of Rochester

You can offer your link to a page which is relevant to the topic of this post.

[myfusimotors]

NASA’s Cold Atom Lab Sets Stage for Quantum Chemistry in Space

The remotely operated facility aboard the International Space Station has created another tool that researchers can use to probe the fundamental nature of the world around us. For the first time in space, scientists have produced a quantum gas containing two types of atoms. Accomplished with NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory aboard the International Space Station, the achievement marks another step…

[hobbyspacer]

Videos: Space habitat reports – Nov.15.2023

This week's selection of videos about space stations and living in space including NASA's latest Space to Ground report for the International Space Station: https://youtu.be/BqtazyxX90o ** Expedition 70 Astronaut Jasmin Moghbeli Answers Pensacola, FL Student Questions - Nov. 15, 2023 - NASA Video Aboard the International Space Station, NASA Expedition 70 Flight Engineer Jasmin Moghbeli discussed living and working in space during an in-flight event Nov. 12 with students attending the Creative Learning Academy in Pensacola, Florida. Moghbeli is in the midst of a science mission living and working aboard the microgravity laboratory to advance scientific knowledge and demonstrate new technologies. Such research benefits people on Earth and lays the groundwork for future human exploration through the agency’s Artemis missions, which will send astronauts to the Moon to prepare for future expeditions to Mars. https://youtu.be/lZ5t0N9nz_4 **  - ISS National Lab ** Expedition 70 SpaceX Dragon CRS-29 Cargo Ship Space Station Docking - Nov. 9, 2023 - NASA Video Loaded with scientific experiments and supplies, an unpiloted SpaceX Dragon cargo ship automatically docked to the International Space Station’s Earth-facing port of the Harmony module Nov 11. The SpaceX resupply craft launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida Nov. 9 as part of the company’s 29th commercial resupply mission for the agency and will remain at the station for one month. https://youtu.be/wVkbxLG_Zq4 ** SpaceX Commercial Resupply Resource Reel - NASA Johnson SpaceX Commercial Resupply – One of two American providers delivering cargo to the International Space Station. Download available at: https://images.nasa.gov/details-jsc20... Rollout – 00:10 Launch Pad – 00:46 Late Load – 1:21 Launch (day) – 1:48 Launch (night) – 6:37 Second Stage Separation – 9:04 Arrival and Docking – 10:01 Unpack – 13:59 Cold Stowage – 14:36 Pack – 16:58 Undock – 18:04 Splashdown – 20:25 Under NASA’s commercial resupply services contract, SpaceX delivers critical science, hardware, and supplies to crew aboard the International Space Station. SpaceX’s Dragon cargo spacecraft lifts off atop the company’s Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A in Florida. Commercial resupply by U.S. companies significantly increases NASA’s ability to conduct more investigations aboard the orbiting laboratory. These investigations lead to new technologies, medical treatments, and products that improve life on Earth. Other U.S. government agencies, private industry, and academic and research institutions can also conduct microgravity research through the agency’s partnership with the International Space Station National Laboratory. https://youtu.be/gC_j45CQiMQ ** Shenzhou-17 Crew Fulfills Diverse Missions in Orbit - CCTV Video News Agency The Shenzhou-17 crew is conducting diverse missions orderly in China's Tiangong space station. https://youtu.be/z59lLnNOwUs ** The ISS has more gravity than you think! - @_cosmic00 https://youtube.com/shorts/YVY0nEx_gyA ** What’s So Cool About NASA’s Cold Atom Lab? - NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory on the International Space Station is regularly the coldest known spot in the universe. But why are scientists producing clouds of atoms a fraction of a degree above absolute zero? And why do they need to do it in space? Quantum physics, of course. Here’s how CAL is helping scientists learn more about the physics behind things like miniaturized technology and the fundamental nature of the particles that make up everything we see. For more about CAL and its science, visit https://coldatomlab.jpl.nasa.gov/ https://youtu.be/FBzU8L01O7E ** Highlight: South Africa - Cape Town to Pretoria - Nov 13, 2023 - 13:45 UTC - ISS Above Pretoria is at the bottom of the frame about about the 3m mark Captured from NASA's EHDC6 Live views of the Earth from the International Space Station https://youtu.be/e5-0VqTUAYM ** Live Video from the International Space Station (Official NASA Stream) - NASA Watch live video from the International Space Station, including inside views when the crew aboard the space station is on duty. Views of Earth are also streamed from an external camera located outside of the space station. During periods of signal loss due to handover between communications satellites, a blue screen is displayed. The space station orbits Earth about 250 miles (425 kilometers) above the surface. An international partnership of five space agencies from 15 countries operates the station, and it has been continuously occupied since November 2000. It's a microgravity laboratory where science, research, and human innovation make way for new technologies and research breakthroughs not possible on Earth. More: https://go.nasa.gov/3CkVtC8 Did you know you can spot the station without a telescope? It looks like a fast-moving star, but you have to know when to look up. Sign up for text messages or email alerts to let you know when (and where) to spot the station and wave to the crew: https://spotthestation.nasa.gov https://www.youtube.com/live/xAieE-QtOeM?feature=share ====

ISS after undocking of STS-132 === Amazon Ads === Lego Ideas International Space Station 21321 Toy Blocks, Present, Space, Boys, Girls, Ages 16 and Up  ==== Outpost in Orbit: A Pictorial & Verbal History of the Space Station  Read the full article

[therealuniverse]

Bose-Einstein Condensates are amazing things - cool gases down so far, so close to absolute zero, that the atoms become delocalized and the edges of the atoms interfere with each other. Right now, on the International Space Station, there is an an experiment in place since 2018 that is using the microgravity environment to create these materials. Check that system out.

[spacenutspod]

3 min read International Space Station welcomes biological and physical science experiments NASA is sending several biological and physical sciences experiments and equipment aboard SpaceX’s 30th commercial resupply services mission. Studying biological and physical phenomena under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay longer in space, while also benefitting life on Earth. Not only can these experiments provide pioneering scientific discovery – they enable sustainable deep space exploration and support transformative engineering. The commercial resupply launch took place Thursday, March 21, at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. Understanding Antibiotic Resistance in Space The emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria poses a significant threat to human health, both on Earth and in space. Common, harmless bacteria like Enterococcus faecalis (EF) and Enterococcus faecium, can be found on the International Space Station just as they are on Earth — and yet, they exhibit resistance to antibiotics and are hardier than their counterparts down on the ground. This raises concerns about potential more harmful bacteria causing infections for astronauts, especially during long-duration missions, as standard antibiotic treatments might prove ineffective. To address this issue, Genomic Enumeration of Antibiotic Resistance in Space will survey the space station for antibiotic-resistant microbes. By analyzing the genetic makeup of these bacteria, scientists hope to understand how they adapt to the unique environment of space. This knowledge will be instrumental in developing protective measures for astronauts’ health on future long-duration missions. Additionally, it could contribute to a broader understanding of antibiotic resistance, benefiting healthcare practices on Earth. Principal Investigator: Dr. Christopher Carr, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA Cold Atom Lab Science Module – 1 A temporary replacement module for the Cold Atom Lab will be aboard SpaceX-30. The module will enable NASA to continue pioneering quantum experiments aboard the International Space Station while researchers troubleshoot upgraded equipment delivered to station in August 2023 that they were unable to bring online. The Cold Atom Laboratory quad locker sitting in a fixture that will allow the hardware to be packaged for shipment to the launch facility. Levitation of High Temperature Metals Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) partner-lead investigation The objective of the Electrostatic Levitation Furnace-1 reflight is to investigate the effects of the interfacial phenomena between molten steel and slag (oxide) melts during processing from the viewpoint of the thermophysical properties. During steel making processes, such as continuous casting, the impurity in the cast steel is influenced by the interplay between the molten steel and molten slags.  Understanding the interfacial phenomena could help produce higher purity steels. Success could increase the space station’s commercial utilization and improve oxide melt manufacturing and application on Earth. Flow Boiling Condensation Module Power Filter Module (support hardware) During the initial checkouts following launch of the Condensation Module Power Filter  hardware on NG-19 in August 2023, an anomaly was observed in the test section thermocouple readings. The team investigated the issue and recommended replacement of the power filter module to fix the anomalous thermocouple readings. The PFM filters out undesirable electromagnetic emissions noise for the payload electronics. Top view of the FBCE-CM-HT hardware. This investigation gathers data to characterize the function of condensation surfaces and to validate flow velocity models. Results could identify optimal flow rates at various gravitational levels to safely dissipate heat, supporting design of systems for use in space and on Earth. Image courtesy of NASA Glenn Research Center. NASA Glenn Research Center About NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences NASA’s Biological and Physical Sciences Division pioneers’ scientific discovery and enables exploration by using space environments to conduct investigations not possible on Earth. Studying biological and physical phenomena under extreme conditions allows researchers to advance the fundamental scientific knowledge required to go farther and stay longer in space, while also benefitting life on Earth. Share Details Last Updated Mar 22, 2024 Related Terms Biological & Physical Sciences International Space Station (ISS) ISS Research Science & Research

[michaelgabrill]

NASA Demonstrates Ultra-Cool Quantum Sensor for First Time in Space

Future space missions could use quantum technology to track water on Earth, explore the composition of moons and other planets, or probe mysterious cosmic phenomena. NASA’s Cold Atom Lab, a first-of-its-kind facility aboard the International Space Station, has taken another step toward revolutionizing how quantum science can be used in space. Members of the science […] from NASA https://ift.tt/umrcWFg

[nkknspace]

FALCON-9 B5/ SpX CRS-19

Status: Go for launch

Prelaunch Infographics, CRS-19

[spaceexp]

Universe’s coolest lab creates bizarre quantum matter in space

ISS - Cold Atom Lab (CAL) patch. 12 June 2020 Physicists have made a Bose–Einstein condensate on the International Space Station — allowing them to probe the mysteries of quantum physics in detail. 

Image above: The International Space Station is home to the Cold Atom Lab — one of the coldest places in the known Universe. Image Credit: NASA. For 25 years, physicists have used an exotic state of matter made from ultracold atoms to probe quantum behaviour at the macroscopic scale. Now, they can do it in space. The feat comes from physicists behind NASA’s US$100-million Cold Atom Lab, which began operating on the International Space Station in June 2018. The results are a proof-of-principle showing that the laboratory can successfully exploit the microgravity of space in ways that should allow scientists to create phenomena that would be impossible on Earth. The facility is on track to become the coldest place in the known Universe.

A Recipe for Cooling Atoms to Almost Absolute Zero

“I think it’s just an amazing achievement,” says Courtney Lannert, a theoretical physicist at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. The findings were published1 in Nature on 11 June. Exotic behaviour First created in 1995, Bose–Einstein condensates form when clouds of atoms are chilled to just above absolute zero. At this temperature, the particles’ wave-like quantum nature dominates, and they coalesce into a single macroscopic quantum object, which physicists can use to investigate exotic behaviour. On Earth, gravity limits studies on these clouds because they quickly disperse unless gravity’s effects are counteracted with strong magnetic fields. But in microgravity, the condensates last longer, allowing for more precise studies. And because weak magnetic ‘traps’ for the atoms can be used in space, physicists can chill them to even lower temperatures, in part by harnessing a technique that cools condensates by allowing them to expand. “Most quantum physicists would say cold-atom experiments are cool, but to make them cooler you have to take them to space,” says Kamal Oudrhiri, CAL mission manager at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California.

Image above: Cold Atom Lab Physics Package. Shown here, the "physics package" inside NASA's Cold Atom Lab, where ultracold clouds of atoms called Bose-Einstein condensates are produced. Image Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech. The researchers used CAL’s precise lasers and high vacuum to produce condensates that lived for longer than a second at 200 trillionths of a degree above absolute zero, on par with some of the most successful experiments on Earth. In future experiments, the team plans to go down to a record 20 trillionths of a degree and create condensates that last for 5 seconds, says Oudrhiri. That would make it the coldest place in the known Universe. Dishwasher-sized lab The condensate isn’t the first produced in space. Experiments on rockets that temporarily cross the barrier into space — as well as those using drop towers on Earth — have provided indications of how this phase of matter behaves in microgravity. But CAL is the first lab of its kind to exist in this environment permanently, says Maren Mossman, a physicist at Washington State University in Pullman, and could be just the first of a series of space-based cold-atom labs. Its success was not a given, she says; CAL puts kit that typically fills an entire lab into a space the size of a dishwasher. And these are just the first results to come from the lab. Mossman is part of a team that is using CAL to create Efimov states, groups of particles that bind in threes but not twos and have long fascinated physicists.

What’s So Cool About NASA’s Cold Atom Lab?

Other teams have also started experiments to create phenomena possible only in the ISS environment. Lannert’s team, for example, has begun producing 30-micrometre-wide bubbles of condensate. Under Earth’s gravity, these would collect to form a bowl or pancake shape. The features of bubbles — being thin and edgeless — mean that they should create whirlpools, known as vortices, with novel behaviours, she says. “The shape is not possible unless you remove the force of gravity. So far, it’s looking really good in terms of the trap doing what we expect it to do.” ‘Heart surgery’ in space Already the most complex experiment ever on the ISS, the facility got a mind-bending upgrade in January. Over eight days, NASA astronauts Christina Koch and Jessica Meir installed an atom interferometer, a process Oudrhiri likens to performing heart surgery in space. The interferometer splits a cloud into two quantum states — with each atom effectively existing in two places at once — before reuniting them to produce an interference pattern. This pattern acts as a sensitive gauge of forces around the condensate, which physicists can use to test fundamental laws of nature or to search for dark energy. Tests in May — when the coronavirus lockdown meant that the remotely operated CAL was the United States’ only operational cold-atom lab — show that the atom interferometer is working as planned, says Oudrhiri.

Animation above: This artist's illustration shows six finely tuned lasers being used to slow down atoms inside NASA's Cold Atom Lab, which chills atoms to almost absolute zero. Animation Credits: NASA/JPL-Caltech. The compact nature of CAL meant that compromises had to be made in its abilities, and it is not ideal for every experiment because it suits the needs of multiple projects, says Lannert. “But the trade-off is more than worth it,” she adds. It also allows physicists without their own extensive labs to perform these experiments. “We’re at a small liberal-arts college, and being able to take data on this machine is just super exciting.” NATURE: doi: 10.1038/d41586-020-01773-z Related links: Bose–Einstein condensates: https://www.nature.com/news/2010/101124/full/news.2010.630.html Cold Atom Lab (CAL): https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/cold-atom-laboratory-cal/ Space Station Research and Technology: https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/research/overview.html International Space Station (ISS): https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html Text, Image, Videos, Animation (mentioned), Credits: NATURE/Elizabeth Gibney/NASA/JPL-Caltech. Greetings, Orbiter.ch Full article

[spacetimewithstuartgary]

New observations links comet water to Earth's oceans

Researchers have found that water on Comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko has a similar molecular signature to the water in Earth's oceans. Contradicting some recent results, this finding reopens the case that Jupiter-family comets like 67P could have helped deliver water to Earth.

Water was essential for life to form and flourish on Earth and it remains central for Earth life today. While some water likely existed in the gas and dust from which our planet materialized around 4.6 billion years ago, much of the water would have vaporized because Earth formed close to the sun's intense heat. How Earth ultimately became rich in liquid water has remained a source of debate for scientists.

Research has shown that some of Earth's water originated through vapor vented from volcanoes; that vapor condensed and rained down on the oceans. But scientists have found evidence that a substantial portion of our oceans came from the ice and minerals on asteroids, and possibly comets, that crashed into Earth. A wave of comet and asteroid collisions with the solar system's inner planets 4 billion years ago would have made this possible.

While the case connecting asteroid water to Earth's is strong, the role of comets has puzzled scientists. Several measurements of Jupiter-family comets—which contain primitive material from the early solar system and are thought to have formed beyond the orbit of Saturn—showed a strong link between their water and Earth's. This link was based on a key molecular signature scientists use to trace the origin of water across the solar system.

This signature is the ratio of deuterium (D) to regular hydrogen (H) in the water of any object, and it gives scientists clues about where that object formed. Deuterium is a rare, heavier type—or isotope—of hydrogen. When compared to Earth's water, this hydrogen ratio in comets and asteroids can reveal whether there's a connection.

Because water with deuterium is more likely to form in cold environments, there's a higher concentration of the isotope on objects that formed far from the sun, such as comets, than in objects that formed closer to the sun, like asteroids.

Measurements within the last couple of decades of deuterium in the water vapor of several other Jupiter-family comets showed similar levels to Earth's water.

"It was really starting to look like these comets played a major role in delivering water to Earth," said Kathleen Mandt, planetary scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. Mandt led the research, published in Science Advances on Nov. 13, that revises the abundance of deuterium in 67P.

But in 2014, ESA's (European Space Agency) Rosetta mission to 67P challenged the idea that Jupiter-family comets helped fill Earth's water reservoir. Scientists who analyzed Rosetta's water measurements found the highest concentration of deuterium of any comet, and about three times more deuterium than there is in Earth's oceans, which have about 1 deuterium atom for every 6,420 hydrogen atoms.

"It was a big surprise and it made us rethink everything," Mandt said.

Mandt's team decided to use an advanced statistical-computation technique to automate the laborious process of isolating deuterium-rich water in more than 16,000 Rosetta measurements. Rosetta made these measurements in the "coma" of gas and dust surrounding 67P. Mandt's team, which included Rosetta scientists, was the first to analyze all of the European mission's water measurements spanning the entire mission.

The researchers wanted to understand what physical processes caused the variability in the hydrogen isotope ratios measured at comets. Lab studies and comet observations showed that cometary dust could affect the readings of the hydrogen ratio that scientists detect in comet vapor, which could change our understanding of where comet water comes from and how it compares to Earth's water.

"So I was just curious if we could find evidence for that happening at 67P," Mandt said. "And this is just one of those very rare cases where you propose a hypothesis and actually find it happening."

Indeed, Mandt's team found a clear connection between deuterium measurements in the coma of 67P and the amount of dust around the Rosetta spacecraft, showing that the measurements taken near the spacecraft in some parts of the coma may not be representative of the composition of a comet's body.

As a comet moves in its orbit closer to the sun, its surface warms up, causing gas to release from the surface, including dust with bits of water ice on it. Water with deuterium sticks to dust grains more readily than regular water does, research suggests. When the ice on these dust grains is released into the coma, this effect could make the comet appear to have more deuterium than it has.

Mandt and her team reported that by the time dust gets to the outer part of the coma, at least 75 miles from the comet body, it is dried out. With the deuterium-rich water gone, a spacecraft can accurately measure the amount of deuterium coming from the comet body.

This finding, the paper authors say, has big implications not only for understanding comets' role in delivering Earth's water, but also for understanding comet observations that provide insight into the formation of the early solar system.

"This means there is a great opportunity to revisit our past observations and prepare for future ones so we can better account for the dust effects," Mandt said.

IMAGE: This image, taken by ESA’s Rosetta navigation camera, was taken from a about 53 miles from the center of Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko on March 14, 2015. The image resolution is 24 feet per pixel and is cropped and processed to bring out the details of the comet's activity. Credit: ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM

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NASA’s Cold Atom Lab - Quantum Chemistry in Space - Technology Org

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NASA’s Cold Atom Lab - Quantum Chemistry in Space - Technology Org

The remotely operated facility aboard the International Space Station has created another tool researchers can use to probe the fundamental nature of the world around us.

This animation depicts six finely tuned lasers used inside NASA’s Cold Atom Lab to slow down atoms, lowering their temperature. Scientists can now use the lab to see how different types of atoms interact with each other at these cold temperatures. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Scientists have produced a quantum gas containing two types of atoms for the first time in space. Accomplished with NASA’s Cold Atom Laboratory aboard the International Space Station, the achievement marks another step toward bringing quantum technologies currently available only on Earth into space.

Quantum tools are already used in everything from cellphones to GPS to medical devices. In the future, they could be used to enhance the study of planets, including our own, and help solve mysteries of the universe while deepening our understanding of the fundamental laws of nature.

The new work, performed remotely by scientists on Earth, is described in the Nov. 16 issue of the journal Nature.

With this new capability, the Cold Atom Lab can now study not only the quantum properties of individual atoms, but also quantum chemistry, which focuses on how different types of atoms interact and combine with each other in a quantum state.

Researchers will be able to conduct a wider range of experiments with Cold Atom Lab and learn more about the nuances of performing them in microgravity. That knowledge will be essential for harnessing the one-of-a-kind facility to develop new space-based quantum technologies.

Quantum Chemistry

The physical world around us depends on atoms and molecules staying bound together according to an established set of rules. But different rules can dominate or weaken depending on the environment the atoms and molecules are in – like microgravity.

Scientists using the Cold Atom Lab are exploring scenarios where the quantum nature of atoms dominates their behaviors. For example, instead of acting like solid billiard balls, the atoms and molecules behave more like waves.

In one of those scenarios, the atoms in two- or three-atom molecules can remain bound together but grow increasingly far apart, almost as though the molecules are getting fluffy. To study these states, scientists first need to slow the atoms down.

They do this by cooling them to fractions of a degree above the lowest temperature matter can reach, far colder than anything found in the natural universe: absolute zero, or minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 273 degrees Celsius).

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Physicists have created these fluffy molecules in cold atom experiments on the ground, but they are extremely fragile and either break apart quickly or collapse back down to a normal molecular state. For that reason, enlarged molecules with three atoms have never been directly imaged.

In the microgravity of the space station, the fragile molecules can exist for longer and potentially get larger, so physicists are excited to start experimenting with the Cold Atom Lab’s new capability.

These types of molecules likely don’t occur in nature, but it’s possible they could be used to make sensitive detectors that can reveal subtle changes in the strength of a magnetic field, for example, or any of the other disturbances that cause them to break apart or collapse.

“What we’re doing with cold atom science in general is looking for and learning about new tools that nature gives us,” said Jason Williams of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, project scientist for the Cold Atom Lab and a co-author on the new study. “It’s like we’ve discovered a hammer and we’re just starting to investigate all the ways we could use it.”

A Modern Mystery

One possible way of using a quantum gas with two types of atoms would be to test something called the equivalence principle, which holds that gravity affects all objects the same way regardless of their mass.

It’s a principle that many physics teachers will demonstrate by putting a feather and a hammer in a sealed vacuum chamber and showing that, in the absence of air friction, the two fall at the same rate. In 1971, Apollo 15 astronaut David Scott did this experiment on the Moon’s surface without the need for a vacuum chamber.

Using an instrument called an atom interferometer, scientists have already run experiments on Earth to see if the equivalence principle holds true at atomic scales. Using a quantum gas with two types of atoms and an interferometer in the microgravity of the space station, they could test the principle with more precision than what’s possible on Earth.

Doing so, they might learn whether there’s a point where gravity doesn’t treat all matter equally, indicating Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity contains a small error that could have big implications.

The equivalence principle is part of the general theory of relativity, the backbone of modern gravitational physics, which describes how large objects, like planets and galaxies, behave. But a major mystery in modern physics is why the laws of gravity don’t seem to match up with the laws of quantum physics, which describe the behaviors of small objects, like atoms.

The laws of both fields have proven to be correct again and again in their respective size realms, but physicists have been unable to unite them into a single description of the universe as a whole.

Looking for features of gravity not explained by Einstein’s theory is one way to search for a means of unification.

Better Sensors

Scientists already have ideas to go beyond testing fundamental physics in microgravity inside the Cold Atom Lab. They have also proposed space-based experiments that could use a two-atom interferometer and quantum gases to measure gravity with high precision in order to learn about the nature of dark energy, the mysterious driver behind the accelerating expansion of the universe.

What they learn could lead to the development of precision sensors for a wide range of applications.

The quality of those sensors will depend on how well scientists understand the behavior of these atoms in microgravity, including how those atoms interact with each other. The introduction of tools to control the atoms, like magnetic fields, can make them repel each other like oil and water or stick together like honey. Understanding those interactions is a key goal of the Cold Atom Lab.

Source: National Aeronautics and Space Administration

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