Physicists have created a new form of matter by placing some atoms in others

The atom is the nucleus made up of protons and neutrons, around which revolve electrons. The space outside of the nucleus but below the orbits of electrons remains empty and for a long time scientists have not too wondered whether this can be changed in any way. In a recent experiment, the experts from Austria and the United States have proved that this is possible, by placing one inside other atoms.

The researchers cooled the strontium atoms to a temperature close to absolute zero (it was about 150 nanokelvinov), which allowed to create a Bose — Einstein Condensate — a form of matter that is achieved at ultra-low temperatures, at which quantum effects begin to appear at the macroscopic level. Then strontium ionizes and got Rydberg atoms, the electrons which rotate around the nucleus at a greater distance.

After that, the "ordinary" strontium atoms were placed inside the atoms that underwent the appropriate manipulations, and in some cases their number reached 170. At the same time," internal " atoms, having a neutral charge, practically did not affect the movement of electrons in orbit, but they were held inside.

Experts indicated they received a form of Rydberg matter polaron and note that to exist such structures of atoms can only be at a very low temperature.

The study was published in the scientific journal Physical Review Letters.

Last year it was reported that scientists plan to get a record low temperature at the international space station. This, among other things, would allow studying Bose-Einstein condensate in space conditions.

By the way, the absolute zero temperature is considered unattainable even theoretically. First, it follows directly from the third law of thermodynamics, and secondly, the cooling of the system is an infinite "step-by-step" process, each step of which requires more energy than the previous one, that is, as the desire of temperature to zero energy costs would have to strive for infinity.