Quantum gases below 10 picokelvin in space

Ultracold atom platforms enable low temperatures and long free evolution times, which are crucial for fundamental physics tests and atom interferometry. The lowest equivalent temperature reported in such a system is 38 pK with a free expansion time of 2 s, achieved in atom-chip-based magnetic traps in microgravity. Optical dipole trap (ODT) systems offer better optical access and the flexibility to condense both magnetic and non-magnetic atoms, but have not been used to prepare quantum degenerate gases under microgravity conditions. Here we report an ODT-based Bose-Einstein condensate created aboard the China Space Station, containing 2.0 × 10 4 atoms, reaching an equivalent temperature of 9.7 − 2.7 + 3.2 pK with a free expansion time of 7.0 s. This record-low temperature could stimulate a new generation of ODT-based experiments in quantum simulation and precision measurements in space.