Video from Mark G. Raizen - Isotopes, Maxwell’s demon, and The Pointsman Foundation (Applied Physics/Physics Colloquium)

In this talk, I will discuss the development of new methods for controlling and cooling atoms based a one-way wall that utilizes photon entropy. This construction realizes the historic thought experiment of Maxwell’s demon for large ensembles, exactly as predicted by Maxwell.  It is now being applied to atoms as an alternative to evaporative cooling, and to efficient isotope separation for medicine and basic science.  The latter is being pursued at a non-profit entity, The Pointsman Foundation, www.pointsman.org.