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Asked by anon-106860 to Adrian, Gaia, Jim, Scott, Vicky on 7 Mar 2016.
Question: Is zero kelvin actually possible to reach? What would happen if it was reached?
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Adrian Buzatu answered on 7 Mar 2016:
No, one can never reach zero kelvin, but one get get really close to it. At CERN in the middle of the accelerator it is colder than even the cosmic space!
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Scott Lawrie answered on 8 Mar 2016:
You cannot reach absolute zero – there are very strong laws that forbid it. We have reached temperatures a tiny tiny tiny bit above it, though! Things get very strange at those low temperatures. Atoms stop moving and can pile up on top of each other! You can also get a super-cold-liquid that if you stir it, will never stop spinning! Those cold temperatures and effect are used in everyday things like MRI scanners at hospitals, so it’s worth investigating 😎
Comments
anon-106860 commented on :
roughly what temperature does it get in the middle of the accelerator?
Scott commented on :
The cold magnets of an accelerator are held at around -272degreesC. When particle beams collide in the middle (outside the magnets, though!) they generate temperatures of trillions of degrees!