China’s space station prepares for new frontiers of science with launch of Mengtian module
- Once docked with Tiangong station, module will house experiments in combustion, heat transfer and fluid physics under microgravity
- Ultracold atoms physics cabin aims to use lasers to cool atoms to lowest temperature ever achieved by humans
Mengtian is an 18-metre (59ft) long, 22-tonne module designed mainly for scientific experiments. It is the third and final major component of the Tiangong space station. The module is expected to lift off on October 31, although an official launch date is yet to be announced.
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Mengtian will carry a number of world-leading physics facilities into orbit, including one that can create the coldest matter in the universe.
The ultracold atoms physics cabin, which will be among the eight fridge-sized research cabins on board, aims to use lasers to cool atoms to 10 picokelvins. That is 100-billionth of a degree above absolute zero (−273.15 Celsius) – the lowest temperature ever achieved by humans – said the cabin’s chief scientist Liu Liang, of the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
If successful, it will surpass Nasa’s cold atom lab, a similar experiment on the International Space Station (ISS), about tenfold, according to a presentation by Liu at the National Space Science Assembly in Taiyuan in August.
Ultracold atoms have wide applications, from quantum computing to the world’s most accurate clocks. They are also an ideal tool for studying fundamental physics. For instance, they allow scientists to observe a fifth state of matter called Bose-Einstein condensate.
