The lowest temperature achieved in scientific experiments is known as absolute zero, which is defined as 0 Kelvin (K) or approximately -273.15 degrees Celsius (-459.67 degrees Fahrenheit). At absolute zero, particles possess the least amount of thermal energy and exhibit minimal molecular motion.
While reaching absolute zero is theoretically impossible due to the third law of thermodynamics, scientists have come extremely close to this temperature in laboratory settings. By using sophisticated techniques such as laser cooling and evaporative cooling, researchers have achieved temperatures only a few billionths of a Kelvin above absolute zero.
In 1995, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of Colorado Boulder achieved the lowest recorded temperature to date, reaching a temperature of 0.45 nanokelvins (nK), which is very close to absolute zero. These ultra-low temperatures allow scientists to investigate fascinating phenomena such as Bose-Einstein condensation and explore the behavior of matter under extreme conditions.