Evening star., 1949-09-16
Physicists on Last Mile
To Atomic South Pole
Expect to Near Realm of Death
In Studies of Absolute Cold
By Thomas r. Henry


By Thomas r. Henry
OAK RIDGE, Tenn, Sept. 16.-Atomic
physicists are on the last mile to the atomic
South Pole-the realm of absolute DEATH
They will have completed the journey
when they reach-it is predicted within the
next few months-a temperature of a mil
lionth of a degree centigrade above absolute
zero.
The last ooooO1 of degree of heat, how
ever, never can be crossed.
Progress toward the ultimate attainable
goal has just been reported to physicists here
by DR.. j. G. Daunt of Ohio State University.
All Heat Called Motion.
All heat is the motion of molecules within
matter. Even in cake of ice it is wild
dance. 1t becomes slower and slower as tenn
perature is reduced until, by methods posi-
BILE only in the physics laboratory, it is so
slow and feeble that it is impossible 10 de-
tect Matter is dead" Sometime presum-
ably, the whole universe will die in this
fashion
OF all things in creation the most tena-
cious OF life is helium the rare gas first
found in the sun, which is the second lightest
of the elements. It remains gas to within
less than degree above absolute zero. Then
it turns into liquid which nobody ever has
succeeded in freezing. Even at degree cen,-
tigrade in near vacuum it boils as violently
as water in kettle over hot fire.
Liquid helium has been, up to now, about
the ultimate frontier of cold physicists have
reached. 1t is the starting point 1sl the
last assault being carried out by DR.. Daunt
and his colleagues. A magnetic material Is
cooled to the temperature of this boiling
helium. From this point on there follows .
step-by-step process of magnetizing and de-
magnetizing. At each operation little Of
the residual temperature is taken out until
eventually the final millionth of degree Is
reached.
The apparatus for the crucial experiment
now is being constructed and the University
of Ohio scientist sees no unsurmountable
obstacle in the way unless some now un-
known phenomenon enters the picture at
extremely low temperatures. Moreover, he
believes that a magnetic material can be
held on the edge of ultimate cold. 1882 de-
grees below zero centigrade, for an in
definite period by a complicated system Of
heat exchange.
Object of Studies.
The object of this final assault on the
last frontier of temperature in existence is
to study the properties of matter under such
extreme conditions. 1t is already known
that many materials become perfect elec-
trical conductors when reduced to q tenn
perature near absolute zero. current Of
electricity which starts flowing through
them will continue forever without any
loss. 1t is quite probable that this will be
property of all matter at absolute zero itself.
1t is quite likely that other unexpected
phenomena will appear, some Of which may
be of practical importance.
Absolute zero never is reached anywhere
in the universe, even in the great empti-
nesses of millions of light years between the
galaxies. 1t is probable, however, that there
are very close approaches to the ultimate.
and this may have considerable effect on
the behavior Of the very thinly dispersed
matter in the interstellar voids.
The work is of particular significance to
atomic physicists here. because the methods
being used by DR.. Daunt and his colleagues
can be used without regard to temperature.
in the study of the structure of the atomic
nucleus.