First Observation of an “Atomic Air Force”
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The first sighting of atoms flying in formation has been reported by physicists at the Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (
NIST) and the University of Colorado at Boulder (CU-Boulder) in the Aug. 13 issue of Physical Review Letters.* While the Air Force and geese prefer a classic “V,” the strontium
atoms--choreographed in this experiment with precision laser pulses and ultracold temperatures--were recorded flying in the shape of a cube.
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