Tucked into a corner of the International Space Station is one very cool facility: the Cold Atom Lab, where atoms can be chilled down to minus 459 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 273 degrees Celsius). At almost absolute zero, the atoms almost stop vibrating, and can reach a state called a Bose-Einstein condensate. This lets researchers test out theories about atoms and their interactions — and now, to use these ultra cold atoms to detect changes in their surrounding environment.
The research uses a quantum tool called an atom interferometer, which uses atoms to measure forces like gravity. While these tools exist on Earth as well, on the planet’s surface there is the Earth’s gravity to deal with, which makes the instruments less sensitive. In the microgravity environment of space, atoms can be measured for longer in a much more precise manner, and the researchers were able to use the instrument to detect the vibrations of the space station.
“Reaching this milestone was incredibly challenging, and our success was not always a given,” said Cold Atom Lab project scientist Jason Williams of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in a statement. “It took dedication and a sense of adventure by the team to make this happen.”
Now that the team has demonstrated the use of atom interferometry in space, the technology could be used for all sorts of future applications. Those range from testing theoretical models to tracking the movement of water on Earth, and could be used in experiments to help elucidate topics such as dark matter and dark energy.
“Atom interferometry could also be used to test Einstein’s theory of general relativity in new ways,” said lead researcher Cass Sackett of the University of Virginia. “This is the basic theory explaining the large-scale structure of our universe, and we know that there are aspects of the theory that we don’t understand correctly. This technology may help us fill in those gaps and give us a more complete picture of the reality we inhabit.”
The technology is expected to have practical applications as well, such as improving navigation for aircraft and ships. “I expect that space-based atom interferometry will lead to exciting new discoveries and fantastic quantum technologies impacting everyday life, and will transport us into a quantum future,” said researcher Nick Bigelow of the University of Rochester.
The research is published in the journal Nature Communications.