# Chinese space station experiment cools rubidium atoms to an equivalent of 9.7 picokelvin

- Published: 2026-11-09 16:19 UTC
- Section: Science › Physics
- Tags: 9.7 picokelvin, rubidium atoms, Bose–Einstein condensate, Chinese space station, microgravity experiment, laser cooling, evaporative cooling, atom interferometer, Cold Atom Laboratory
- URL: https://realtech.media/news/rt-445244efd4d6df646d55db90_chinese_space_station/

**On China's space station, researchers tracked a rubidium cloud for seven seconds in microgravity and derived a temperature equivalent of 9.7 picokelvin, a quarter of the prior record.**

![Chinese space station experiment cools rubidium atoms to an equivalent of 9.7 picokelvin](https://realtech.media/media/2026/11/3a67940328e5d7cd.avif)
*tech.wp.pl*

According to tech.wp.pl, an experiment aboard China's space station reached a temperature not previously achieved in laboratories: rubidium atoms were cooled to an equivalent of 9.7 picokelvin. [1] The report speaks of six atoms, while the cooling process began with about 20 thousand rubidium particles. [1] Researchers followed the atom cloud for seven seconds after releasing it from a laser trap in microgravity. [1]

## Record against earlier results

The value of 9.7 picokelvin is about one quarter of the previous official record. [1] Earlier lowest temperatures were obtained in a drop tower (38 picokelvin for 2 seconds) and in the Cold Atom Laboratory on the International Space Station (52 picokelvin and 1 second). [1] In both cases the limited time and stronger effect of gravity prevented longer observation. [1] The seven-second observation in microgravity is what made the measurement of this low temperature possible, which is unavailable in ground laboratories. [1]

## Cooling and measurement method

Microgravity allowed the team to create and control a Bose–Einstein condensate, a state in which atoms behave as a single quantum wave. [1] Cooling started with laser cooling and evaporative cooling, which removed the hottest atoms from the system. [1] The condensate was then placed in an optical trap and released gradually to minimize the energy that drives its expansion after release. [1]

By tracking the growth of the cloud in three dimensions, the researchers calculated the temperature equivalent of the system. [1] They estimated the measurement uncertainty at 7.0 to 12.9 picokelvin. [1] The publication stresses that such a condensate is a versatile platform for further studies and quantum simulations. [1]

The team plans to use even larger traps that allow observation of more atoms. [1] It also considers building an atom interferometer to test fundamental principles of physics, for example the equivalence of accelerations of different bodies in a gravitational field. [1]

## Sources

1. [tech.wp.pl](https://tech.wp.pl/nowy-rekord-na-chinskiej-stacji-kosmicznej-szesc-atomow-w-pulapce,7349100872075744a)

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Source: RealTech, realtech.media — https://realtech.media/news/rt-445244efd4d6df646d55db90_chinese_space_station/