Scientists cool electrons to -228 degrees Celsius at room temperature

Scientists at the American University of Texas at Arlington have devised a way to cool electrons to -228 degrees Celsius at room temperature. In the long run, this could mean that electrical appliances require much less energy.

Electrons heat up at room temperature due to thermal activity. The researchers tried to suppress that activity without using external cooling. They sent the electrons through a quantum well. To do this, they used a nanoscale structure on a chip, in which they successively used a source electrode, a quantum well, a tunnel barrier, a so-called ‘quantum dot’, again a tunnel barrier and an electrode.

The results of the study were published this week in Nature Communications. The scientists claim to have cooled electrons at room temperature for the first time without outside help. “Researchers have looked at this before, but that only happened when they immersed the entire equipment in an extremely cold bath,” a senior lecturer from the university told Science Daily.

The researchers believe that if this technique is ever implemented in transistors, the energy consumption of electronic devices could be reduced by up to ten times compared to current technology. This means that smartphones, among other things, work longer on a single battery charge. In addition, the scientists say the technology could be useful for soldiers, who can use smaller batteries and therefore be more mobile.