- oaklandp8ntbalr
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- Fabled Legendary Member
Generalizations.
Helping idiots hate other idiots since people have existed.
Posted by: prometheus25
Posted by: oaklandp8ntbalr
Posted by: prometheus25
Posted by: oaklandp8ntbalr
Everyone shut up and listen.
First, temperature is not a measure of atomic vibration. Your science teachers lied to you for sake of simplicity. The more accurate definition is the relationship between energy and entropy (randomness of a system).
Normally, adding energy to a system increases entropy; the atoms become more randomly distributed. Adding energy and increasing entropy = positive temperature.
HOWEVER, Some systems have a maximum limit to the energy they can hold. When you approach this limit, the systems actually start to LOSE entropy. Adding energy but decreasing in entropy = Negative temperature.
This system is still warmer than absolute zero. In fact, it is theoretically hotter than infinity.
Hmmm, I'm going with the thought that you heard this concept somewhere else and are simply assuming it applies here.
Why wouldn't it apply here? Makes sense when you think about Boltzmann.
Educate me plz
If you read the actual Nature article, it says they use a combination of lasers and magnetic fields to hold the atoms in a stable lattice at near absolute zero temperatures. This isn't anything amazing, as it's SOP for this stuff. They then tweak the magnetic field in such a way that it would encourage the atoms to attract (meaning that, right when the field is changed, the atoms now have some potential energy. They have ability to move to a lower energy state/position). Simultaneously, the lasers they use are altered so that the atoms stay still in a more 'energetically favorable" configuration.
They don't offer a lot of details, but my understanding of the situation is that the photons from the laser bleed off this recently attained energy from the magnetic field switch. I could be mistaken, however.
Right. They tweaked the atoms to be in a more energetically favorable configuration. They added energy so the atoms would be in more high energy states than lower energy states.
AKA, adding energy but decreasing entropy. (a high energy state has a lower entropy than a low energy state)
[Edited on 01.04.2013 11:00 AM PST]