Sisyphus cooling

English

Etymology

Named after Sisyphus from Greek mythology, who was doomed eternally to roll a stone up a mountain, only to have it roll down again whenever he got it near the summit.

Noun

Sisyphus cooling (uncountable)

1. (physics) The use of specially selected laser light, hitting atoms from various angles to both cool and trap them in a potential well, effectively rolling the atoms down a hill of potential energy until they have lost their kinetic energy.