Nottingham: Scientists have defined the smallest, most
accurate thermometer allowed by the laws of physics — one that could
detect the smallest fluctuations in microscopic regions, such as the
variations within a biological cell. The research, involving mathematicians at
The University of Nottingham and published in the latest edition of the
journal Physical Review Letters,
focuses on the sensitivity of thermometers made up of just a handful of
atoms and small enough to exhibit distinctive ‘quantum’ features.