From Kitchen Fridges to Quantum Superfluids: The Physics of Dilution Refrigeration

Synopsis

How do fridges keep your food cold? How does sweat cool you down? The answer to both these questions comes down to the same underlying principle: when a liquid evaporates, it absorbs heat from its surroundings. But how far down the temperature scale can we push this idea? In this talk, I will explain the physics behind dilution refrigeration, where helium-3 and helium-4 mix together in a quantum mechanical version of evaporation, achieving milli-Kelvin temperatures. Finally, I will discuss how dilution fridges have become ubiquitous in physics, from quantum computation to dark matter detection.