absolute zero

noun

1. the temperature of −273.16°C (−459.69°F), the hypothetical point at which all molecular activity ceases.

absolute zero

noun

1. the lowest temperature theoretically attainable, at which the particles constituting matter would be in the lowest energy states available; the zero of thermodynamic temperature; zero on the International Practical Scale of Temperature: equivalent to –273.15°C or –459.67°F

absolute zero

1. The lowest possible temperature, at which all molecules are have the least possible amount of kinetic energy. Absolute zero is equal to 0°K, −459.67°F, or −273.15°C. At temperatures approaching absolute zero, the physical characteristics of some substances change significantly. For example, some substances change from electrical insulators to conductors, while others change from conductors to insulators. Absolute zero has never been reached in laboratory experiments.
2. See also Bose-Einstein condensate

absolute zero

1. The lowest temperature that can be attained by matter , corresponding to the point at which most motion in atoms stops. Absolute zero is about –273 degrees on the Celsius scale and about –460 on the Fahrenheit (see also Fahrenheit ) scale.

A Closer Look

The temperature of a substance is determined by the average velocity of its molecules: the faster they move, the warmer the substance. At absolute zero molecules have minimal kinetic energy (or zero-point energy ) and heat energy cannot be extracted from them. The molecules are not motionless, however, due to the uncertainty principle of quantum mechanics, which entails that the atoms cannot have both a fixed position and zero momentum at the same time; instead, the molecules of a substance at absolute zero are always “wiggling” in some manner. Absolute zero is zero degrees Kelvin, equal to −273.15 degrees Celsius and −459.67 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest known place in the universe is the Boomerang Nebula, where the temperature is −272° Celsius. Scientists at Massachusetts Institute of Technology have gone much lower than that by using laser traps and other techniques to cool rubidium to 2 × 10 ^-9 degrees Kelvin.

Example Sentences

The researchers also have to show that, at the temperatures closer to absolute zero that maximize sensitivity, the gears in the tuning mechanism won’t create more heat than the cooling system can handle, Chou says.

From Science Magazine

The chip, cocooned within a vacuum chamber and cooled nearly to absolute zero, is patterned with 198 gold electrodes, arranged like an oval racetrack.

From Science Magazine

Researchers from TU Delft and Brown University have engineered string-like resonators capable of vibrating longer at ambient temperature than any previously known solid-state object -- approaching what is currently only achievable near absolute zero temperatures.

From Science Daily

After cooling the nodes to close to absolute zero, light is sent through the first node and, by nature of the silicon vacancy center's atomic structure, becomes entangled with it.

From Science Daily

To manipulate and arrange atoms, physicists typically first cool a cloud of atoms to temperatures approaching absolute zero, then use a system of laser beams to corral the atoms into an optical trap.

From Science Daily