Fifth State of Matter observed by NASA scientists

The NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) scientists in the International Space Station unveiled the first results of Bose-Einstein condensate experiments under which the particles can be manipulated free from Earthly constraints.

Bose-Einstein Condensates

Bose-Einstein Condensates were predicted by Indian Mathematician Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein almost a century ago. The BEC is a state of matter that is typically formed when a gas of bosons is cooled to temperatures close to absolute zero.

Absolute Zero is the temperature at which the entropy and enthalpy of cooled gas reach their minimum value.

Four States of Matter

There are four state of matter namely solid, liquid, gas and plasma. The fourth state of matter called the plasma was described by the chemist Irving Langmuir. It consists of gas of ions in which orbital electrons are removed and positively charged nuclei roam freely.

Fifth State of Matter

The BEC is the fifth state of matter and was created by the scientists 25 years ago. When a group of atoms are cooled to absolute zero, the atoms clump together behaving as a one big super atom. This state is called the fifth state of matter and is referred to BEC.

Month: Current Affairs - June, 2020