The microkelvin is an SI submultiple used to measure extremely small temperature differences or temperatures exceptionally close to absolute zero. It equals 10⁻⁶ kelvins. Physicists use this scale when working with Bose-Einstein condensates and ultra-cold quantum experiments, where thermal noise must be practically eliminated.
Heard on the job
We managed to cool the rubidium atoms down to about three microkelvins before the magnetic trap destabilized.
Insider tip
Because it represents an increment as well as an absolute value, researchers often talk about cooling stages in microkelvins rather than stating the absolute temperature.