Force
Forces and Motion

The smallest force detected

Stories from Physics for 11-14 14-16 IOP RESOURCES

A team of researchers from the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California have measured what is thought to be the lowest force ever recorded. A cloud of atoms was trapped in an optical cavity and caused to oscillate, and its frequency was measured using a laser beam. A force of 42 yN (42  ×  10 -24 N) was recorded.

References

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