July 2015

Mystery objects

The secrets of tiny whirlpools in ultracold superfluids are revealed by full three-dimensional simulation and analysis.

vortex-lines-large

Experiments with ultra-cold superfluids – liquids cooled until they flow without friction – allow scientists to investigate quantum mechanical principles central to our understanding of the physical world. Researchers developed computational algorithms that consider these superfulids’ complex physics. The new codes can account for instabilities, including dissipation, a phenomenon through which vortices displace energy.