Probably a stupid question, but will we ever have something like a microwave to make things cold? Is there a reason this can't exist?

Melatonin@lemmy.dbzer0.com to Asklemmy@lemmy.ml – 486 points –
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Allow me to introduce you to this

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laser_cooling

Can I get an ELI5 of this principle? I read the Doppler cooling part but I can't connect the dots.

Heat energy is the amount of particle wiggling. With precisely tuned and oriented lasers you can clamp a particle in space, thus prevent it from wiggling.

No wiggling -> very cold.

It's like slowing cars by crashing another car into them. But it's photons instead from the exact opposite direction.