Cold Atom Lab
Short Name:The short name or acronym of the facility. CAL
Facility Description
The Cold Atom Laboratory (CAL) allows researchers to study the fundamental behavior and quantum characteristics of atoms by enabling clouds of atoms that are chilled to nearly one billionth of a degree above absolute zero, where their motion is very very slow. At these ultra-cold temperatures, the wave nature of atoms becomes more pronounced and most atoms share the same macroscopic wave function.
CAL uses laser cooling techniques to achieve the ultra-cold temperatures, which are not achievable on Earth. CAL is capable of trapping both Rubidium (87 Rb) and Potassium (40 K or 41 K) atoms. A Feshbach coil enables precise control of atomic interactions in certain states. Bragg beams enable a sensitive way to probe condensate properties, and atom interferometry. Delta-kick cooling provides access to a new range of effective temperatures and enables shaping and focusing of atomic clouds. The combination of three atomic species, microwave state selection, and adiabatic rapid passage enables 24 possible quantum states with an infinite number of mixtures and superpositions.
Availability:The general availability status of the facility. Please contact the facility manager
ISS Environment:The facility location (internal or external to the ISS.) Internal
Owner:The entity that owns the facility. NASA
Operator/Implementation Partner:The entity or ISS National Lab Implementation Partner that operates the facility.
NASA
Developer(s):The entity, or entities, that developed the facility.
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab
Facility Manager:The name of the facility manager and their organization.
Robert Thompson,
NASA Jet Propulsion Lab
Manager Email:The facility manager's email address.
robert.j.thompson@jpl.nasa.gov
Parent Facility:Any facility that is necessary to operate the facility described on this webpage. i.e., a parent facility is one level higher in the operational hierarachy. EXPRESS Rack
Child Facility:Facilities that can be operated within the facility described on this webpage.
Sponsoring Space Agency:The government space agency that sponsors investigations that use the facility. NASA
Equipment Category:"The facility's ISS National Lab equipment designation type. Designations include:
1. ISS National Lab Commercial Service Provider (CSP) Facility
2. Support Hardware
3. Capability Capability
Additional Information:Additional resources to learn more about the facility.
CAL on NASA’s SSRE
Cold Atom Lab – What We Do
CAL information from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory
iss061e145487 (Jan. 28, 2020) --- NASA astronaut and Expedition 61 Flight Engineer Jessica Koch works on the Cold Atom Lab (CAL) swapping and cleaning hardware inside the quantum research device. The CAL enables research into the quantum effects of gases chilled to nearly absolute zero, which is colder than the average temperature of the universe.