In our experiments, we cool atoms to ultracold temperatures, close to absolute zero. At these low temperatures, a gas of atoms exhibits quantum mechanical phenomena, including Bose-Einstein condensation (BEC), Fermi degeneracy, and superfluidity. We study ultracold atomic gases to gain insight into phenomena like superconductivity and magnetism that occur in solids and liquids. Atomic gases allow us to create clean, defect-free samples with precisely known microscopic properties, enabling us to focus on the mechanisms through which macroscopic properties emerge from microscopic interactions.

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