NASA's upgraded Cold Atom Lab is back in operation aboard the International Space Station, enabling new research into quantum states of matter. The facility creates Bose-Einstein condensates at temperatures near absolute zero.
The lab, roughly the size of a mini refrigerator, cools atoms using lasers and magnetic fields to temperatures below minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit. A new science module arrived on April 11 via a Commercial Resupply Services mission, marking the fourth major upgrade since the lab's installation in 2018.
Researchers can now study larger quantum waves for extended periods thanks to the microgravity environment. Five international teams are currently using the facility to explore fundamental physics.
"At the coldest temperatures, matter behaves drastically different from anything we have experienced," said Jason Williams, project scientist for Cold Atom Lab at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
The project is managed by Caltech and sponsored by NASA's Biological and Physical Sciences division. It aims to advance quantum technologies for future space missions and Earth-based applications.