Physicists Spot Quantum Tornadoes Twirling in a ‘Supersolid’ | Quanta Magazine

Physicists at the University of Innsbruck published snapshots of the quantum-scale vortices that form in supersolids.

Vortices might show how matter behaves in some of the most extreme conditions in the universe.

The authors believe the vortics can help explain properties in a range of systems, from high-temperature superconductors to astronomical bodies.

Innsbruck researchers used a magnetic field as a spoon to stir the internal magnetic fields of the atoms 50 times a second .

When the researchers lowered the temperature and density, interactions between the atoms caused them to naturally oscillate as one coherent wave, complete with all the features of a superfluid.

The hallmark of superfluidity is the array of vortices that spawns upon rotation.

Vortices form after vortices get dislodged and bump into each other, setting off a tornado and avalanche that transfers energy to the container.

Enough of these collisions could briefly speed up the neutron star’s rotation, resulting in a glitch.

Astronomers hope this work will enable a new diagnostic tool for pulsars.