Our typical winter temperatures may be making a comeback, but we’re going to talk about real cold – absolute zero. That’s about 459.67 degrees below zero on the Fahrenheit scale. Absolute zero is kind of like the speed of light, it’s something that scientists can only get close to but not actually reach.
Dennis Clougherty is a professor at the University of Vermont involved in low temperature physics research. He’s also a scientific advisor to a 2-part NOVA television special, "Absolute Zero and the Conquest of Cold." He spoke with VPR’s Jane Lindholm about absolute zero and the effects of quantum mechanics.