Scientists 'Create' World's Coldest Temperature Inside Lab

Picture the lowest temperatures that the Earth experiences in tundra regions (between -28¡ãC to -50¡ãC). Now multiple it by 10, errr, perhaps infinity and you have the world's coldest temperature ever!

A group of scientists recently managed to break the ice ceiling (pun intended) to artificially create conditions for the coldest temperature ever on Earth. The coldest measurable temperature on the thermodynamics scale is currently -273.15¡ãC (-459.67¡ãF) - and no object is capable to reaching this temperature because it would require breaking laws of physics, somethings scientists haven't been able to do yet.

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Understanding temperature

-273.15¡ãC (-459.67¡ãF) is the absolute zero temperature. What is temperature? We think of it in numbers but the temperature of anything is essentially a measure how fast molecules or atoms within a substance are moving - also called the average kinetic energy of those particles.

Also read: Volcanoes Help Cool Earth Temperature During Climate Change, Says Study

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Absolute zero temperatures refer to a point where particles in a substance are not moving at all - making it the "absolute zero". No lower temperature is possible because nothing is slower than motionless... or so we thought. But scientists don't like being told "no". So they went ahead and created conditions to record the lowest and coldest temperature ever - roughly 38 picoKelvin (39 trillionths of a degree above the absolute zero threshold).

How was the coldest temperature created?

Undertaken by scientists at the University of Bremen in Germany, the scientists reached 38 trillionths of a degree above absolute zero by slowing down a quantum gas using magnets, as reported by New Atlas. The record-breaking temperature effectively makes this moment one of the coldest places in all universe.

Also read: Climate Change Effect: Antarctica Records Hottest-Ever Temperature Of 18.3 Degrees Celsius

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In 2003, scientists from MIT did something similar by slowing down sodium atoms, bringing them one-half of a billionth of a degree above absolute zero, which held the world record for the longest time. The temperature could be sustained only for 2 seconds but scientists are optimistic that it may sustain for 17 seconds in a weightless environment, like the International Space Station.

What a fascinating project, right? If you agree (or even if you don't), let us know in the comments below. For similar stories from the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.