Today I was greeted with the following line
Quantum Gas Temperature Drops Below Absolute Zero
This is the way the news about a quantum system that is effectively at negative temperature was reported in Wired. The thing is, negative temperatures are hotter than any finite positive temperature.
One can also check this fact in the Wikipedia entry for negative temperature. The simplest system that has an effective negative temperature is a laser: to get a negative temperature one just needs what is called a population inversion.
In that report it was stated that
Previously absolute zero was considered to be the theoretical lower limit of temperature as temperature correlates with the average amount of energy of the substance’s particles.
The crucial mistake is the expression “Previously absolute zero was considered” which suggests that we have overturned theoretical physics knowledge on its head, because a new and revolutionary temperature below zero has been obtained! Moreover, we have measured systems with negative temperatures at least since the invention of the laser, and actually since the invention of the maser ( a laser in the microwave region).
The news is actually well reported in Ars technica. In that article they actually explain facts correctly about how to think about negative temperatures.
Didn’t the guy who worked out temps below absolute zero win the Nobel prize like 30 years ago?
It’s closer to 50 years ago: the Nobel prize for the Laser and Maser was given in 1964 to Townes, basov and Prohorov.
It’s sad, but it doesn’t surprise me. Somewhat like the growing gap between the rich and poor, there is a growing gap between those who are connected to science (and reality) and those who’ve given up trying or are, for whatever reason, actively resisting.
It’s like everything today. Sides are picked, lines are drawn, everything gets polarized and the conversation stops dead.