English: Even the coldest arctic day is balmy when compared to quantum physics. For example, atoms, which are quantum to their cores, must be chilled to near absolute zero for quantum effects to show up. For a long time this wasn’t even possible, but, bathed in the neon glow of the 1980s, scientists discovered a way to crank the temperature way down. It turns out that lasers, which are awesome for burning stuff or driving cats crazy, are also good at stopping atoms in their tracks. The process for slowing atoms is called laser cooling.