Blog Post Image: Ultracold Big Bang experiment successfully simulates evolution of early universe

The image at left shows the density of atoms at the beginning of an experiment simulating the evolution of the universe following the big bang. The predominance of red in this image indicates the higher central density of ultracold atoms in a vacuum chamber at the beginning of the experiment. The red cloud of atoms measures approximately 10 microns by 10 microns—smaller than the diameter of a human hair. Eighty milliseconds after the simulated big bang, the atoms have become much less concentrated in the experimental vacuum chamber, as indicated (at right) by the color gradation from red to yellow, green, blue and purple in the density map.Illustration by Chen-Lung Hung