Sisyphus effect

In ultra-low temperature physics, the Sisyphus effect involves 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 atom down a hill of potential energy until it has lost its kinetic energy.

It is named in reference to the Greek mythological figure of Sisyphus, a king punished in Tartarus by being cursed to roll a huge boulder up a hill.