The Coolest Thermometer
Optics & Photonics Focus
Volume 9 Story 2 - 3/5/2010

Spin gradient thermometry experiment with Mott insulators

At low temperatures, the two components of the quantum gas — spin up and spin down — are clearly separated (a), whereas they overlap considerably at higher temperatures (b). Image analysis (c,d) allows one to deduce the temperature by comparison to the known, theoretical temperature dependency of the two phases and their interface region.
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Spin gradient thermometry experiment with Mott insulators. At low temperatures, the two components of the quantum gas — <i>spin up</i> and <i>spin down</i> — are clearly separated (a), whereas they overlap considerably at higher temperatures (b). Image analysis (c,d) allows one to deduce the temperature by comparison to the known, theoretical temperature dependency of the two phases and their interface region.