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The fifth state of matter: Bose-Einstein condensates
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Very early in our school career, we learn about the states of matter. This table is hard wood - it's solid. This water flows, we can drink it - it’s a liquid. And the air around us, even though we cannot see it, is a gas. But these three states of matter are not the only three. In fact, wikipedia describes around 20 different states of matter.
One of these is the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). In this state, a number of separate atoms or subatomic particles are cooled to near absolute zero, and behave like a single quantum entity. Many become one in the eyes of physics and maths. Since these eyes tend to define our scientific reality, the existence and implications of BECs defy our expectations of how matter should behave. It is another mind-bending quantum phenomenon. Bose-Einstein condensates are interesting to consider from a theoretical perspective, but they also have practical purposes, such as in superconductors and atomic clocks, especially now that they have been created in labs.
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