Ultracold, ultracool

Debbie Jin wasn’t looking for chemical reactions in 2008 when she cooled a gas of potassium and rubidium molecules to extremely cold temperatures near absolute zero.

But Jin — adjunct professor of physics at the University of Colorado-Boulder and fellow of the National Institute of Standards and Technology — couldn’t help but notice their presence.

“Nobody would have even thought about chemical reactions at those temperatures,” said Jin, who worked on the research with fellow CU faculty member Jun Ye.

The discovery has driven Jin’s study of ultracold chemistry ever since.

Earlier this year, Jin received a L’Oreal-UNESCO Women in Science award for the…