The fascinating world of Bose–Einstein condensates (BECs), macroscopic coherent matter waves that have greatly influenced quantum science and atomic physics, is the focus of today's episode. We are delighted to have Dr. Chen and his team, who share their groundbreaking work on continuous Bose–Einstein condensation.

BECs have a crucial role in quantum simulation and sensing, underlying atom interferometers in space, and enabling ambitious tests of Einstein’s equivalence principle. However, a persistent challenge has been the need for sequential cooling stages in quantum gas devices, confining these devices to pulsed operation.

Our esteemed guests showcase their breakthrough in overcoming this limitation by demonstrating a continuous-wave (CW) condensate of strontium atoms that persists indefinitely. This continuous condensation process ...