This shows how to create pretty much the coldest place in the universe.  Here is a bit more on how they do it:

A Bose-Einstein Condensate of sodium atoms is created in lab at MIT by Martin Zwierlein. Using highly focused, single frequency lasers it is possible to cool the single sodium atoms, negating their thermal vibrations by inducing electronic transitions which effectively “pushes” them into place. This brings the atoms down to millikelivn temperatures.

However to achieve nanokelvin temperatures, magnetic fields are used to trap the atoms in a well or cup so that the atomic resonance of the atoms begins to match the frequency of the laser light so that , like in a cup of coffee or tea, the hottest atoms are boiled off the surface by “blowing” on the atoms with polarized laser light. This makes the atoms that are in resonance with the light move towards the center, leaving the hotter atoms to boil off. This then shrinks the gas cloud into a supercool sphere.

Let’s check out this super cold experiment in video on the next page

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