Absolute Zero

ABSOLUTE ZERO This two - part scientific detective tale tells the story of a remarkable group of pioneers who wanted to reach the ultimate extreme: absolute zero, a place so cold that the physical world as we know it doesn't exist, electricity flows without resistance, fluids defy gravity and the speed of light can be reduced to 38 miles per hour. Each film features a strange cast of eccentric characters, including: Clarence Birds Eye; Frederic 'Ice King' Tudor, who founded an empire harvesting ice; and James Dewar, who almost drove himself crazy by trying to liquefy hydrogen. Absolute zero became the Holy Grail of temperature physicists and is considered the gateway to many new technologies, such as nano-construction, neurological networks and quantum computing. The possibilities, it seems, are limitless. The Conquest of Cold: (Actor as James Dewar © Windfall Films) 1. THE CONQUEST OF COLD The bizarre story of how one court magician's use of alchemy made a King shiver. The Race for Absolute Zero: (Actor playing Heike Kamerlingh Onnes © Windfall Films) 2. THE RACE FOR ABSOLUTE ZERO Could the future become a strange quantum world as physicists get within a few millionths of a degree of this absolute zero?

Over the next two episodes, PBS's long-running science series, Nova, will take a look at just how low we can go, and how we got there. Their latest special, "Absolute Zero" is divided into two hour-long looks at some people's obsession with the cold. First up, "Absolute Zero: The Conquest of Cold." Despite what its title may imply, this episode has very little to do with actual zero itself. Instead, it looks at the history of lowering temperature, from the first air conditioner-type device (made in 17th century England), to the commercial harvesting of ice, to the centuries-long debate as to what actually makes something hot or cold anyway.

The episode works through history methodically and relies heavily on the recreation of events for illustrative purposes. It does touch on the first scientist to theorize about an absolute zero, but it is not until the second episode "Absolute Zero: The Race for Absolute Zero" that absolute zero takes center stage. In this second hour, which begins at the end of the 19th century and continues through the present day, scientists go from liquefying hydrogen (which happens at around 20 K) to less than a degree away from 0 K.

The episode details how as scientists approached this number they created a once hypothetical substance known as a Bose-Einstein condensate. It takes a significant portion of the hour to explain exactly what this is and how it was achieved, but, in thirty words or less, the condensate is a substance in which all of the atoms are absolutely identical. There is no way to tell one atom from another in a Bose-Einstein condensate. This change in the behavior of atoms causes the condensate to behave in odd ways that scientists are still grappling with.

In the end, this Nova two-parter is really two distinct shows that need not be tied together. The first is a basic history of cold and how people began to understand, think about, and harness it. It looks at numerous missteps along the way as well as what was done right. It also talks about the practical applications of the cold (the refrigerator, shipping foods across the country, and air conditioning). The second hour takes the story into the modern day and focuses on the achievement of creating a Bose-Einstein condensate. The first hour is far more interesting and, not surprisingly, accessible than the second hour. While great achievements and many practical applications have become possible due to the race for Absolute Zero, the second hour chooses to not focus on them. Instead it spends its time trying to explain the notion of a Bose-Einstein condensate and how exactly different teams of scientists went about trying to create one. It is unquestionably a huge scientific triumph, it just does not make for terribly compelling television.

Comments (0)

Title
Comment	smaller | bigger
Name
Email
Website
	Subscribe via email (registered users only)
	I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.
Write the displayed characters
	Add Comment Preview