Bose-Einstein condensates - The coldest stuff in the universe

Synopsis

When a gas of bosonic atoms is cooled toward absolute zero temperature, it becomes cold and dense enough to collapse into a single quantum state. The resulting state, a Bose-Einstein condensate, is a new phase of matter that represents the coldest object in the universe. I will describe what BECs are; how they are made and studied in the lab; and discuss some applications of them, such as testing quantum mechanics, simulating the physics-archive behind superconductivity, searching for exotic new particles, and even studying astrophysical phenomena.