Cold Atom Lab first facility of its kind in Asia
Q. Where is the first cold atom lab being set up in Asia?- Published on 25 Apr 16a. Sri Lanka
b. China
c. Japan
d. India
ANSWER: India
Following soaring temperatures in Kerala, scientists have striven to create one of the coolest places in Asia known as the new Cold Atom Lab at ISRO inertial systems unit which will be the first of its kind in Asia. This was inaugurated by ISRO chairman AS Kiran Kumar. It also marks the silver jubilee year or completion of 25 years at IISU.
- Scientists at this facility use laser beams to cool fundamental particles or rubidium atoms
- The laser beams split into two with the laser interferometer, one of which moves clockwise and the other anti-clockwise and meet at a point.
- The wave nature of the atoms leads to an interference pattern where tow waves carrying energy meet up and overlap
- Atom is then magnetically trapped and radio waves are used to cool the atoms 100 times lower
- Radiofrequency radiation slices away the hottest atoms from the trap; only the coldest remain
- It was Satyendra Bose and Albert Einstein who predicated the existence of such atoms at extremely cold temperatures.
