New Quantum “Tornado” Experiments Challenge Our Understanding of Black Holes

By University of Nottingham July 24, 2024

Collected at: https://scitechdaily.com/new-quantum-tornado-experiments-challenge-our-understanding-of-black-holes/

Researchers have created a quantum tornado in superfluid helium to simulate black hole conditions, advancing our understanding of black hole physics and the behavior of quantum fields in curved spacetimes, culminating in a unique art and science exhibition.

Scientists have, for the first time, created a giant quantum vortex in superfluid helium to mimic a black hole. This breakthrough has enabled them to observe in greater detail how analog black holes behave and interact with their surroundings.

Research led by the University of Nottingham, in collaboration with King’s College London and Newcastle University, has created a novel experimental platform: a quantum tornado. They have created a giant swirling vortex within superfluid helium that is chilled to the lowest possible temperatures. Through the observation of minute wave dynamics on the superfluid’s surface, the research team has shown that these quantum tornados mimic gravitational conditions near rotating black holes. The research has been published today in Nature.

Experimental setup in the lab used in the black hole research. Credit: Leonardo Solidoro

Lead author of the paper, Dr Patrik Svancara from the School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Nottingham explains: “Using superfluid helium has allowed us to study tiny surface waves in greater detail and accuracy than with our previous experiments in water. As the viscosity of superfluid helium is extremely small, we were able to meticulously investigate their interaction with the superfluid tornado and compare the findings with our own theoretical projections.”

Advanced Cryogenic System and Quantum Insights

The team constructed a bespoke cryogenic system capable of containing several liters of superfluid helium at temperatures lower than -271 °C. At this temperature liquid helium acquires unusual quantum properties. These properties typically hinder the formation of giant vortices in other quantum fluids like ultracold atomic gases or quantum fluids of light, this system demonstrates how the interface of superfluid helium acts as a stabilizing force for these objects.

Dr Svancara continues: “Superfluid helium contains tiny objects called quantum vortices, which tend to spread apart from each other. In our set-up, we’ve managed to confine tens of thousands of these quanta in a compact object resembling a small tornado, achieving a vortex flow with record-breaking strength in the realm of quantum fluids.”

Quantum vortex in superfluid helium experiment. Credit: Leonardo Solidoro

Linking Quantum Vortices to Black Hole Physics

Researchers uncovered intriguing parallels between the vortex flow and the gravitational influence of black holes on the surrounding spacetime. This achievement opens new avenues for simulations of finite-temperature quantum field theories within the complex realm of curved spacetimes.

Professor Silke Weinfurtner, leading the work in the Black Hole Laboratory where this experiment was developed, highlights the significance of this work: “When we first observed clear signatures of black hole physics in our initial analog experiment back in 2017, it was a breakthrough moment for understanding some of the bizarre phenomena that are often challenging, if not impossible, to study otherwise. Now, with our more sophisticated experiment, we have taken this research to the next level, which could eventually lead us to predict how quantum fields behave in curved spacetimes around astrophysical black holes.”

Reference: “Rotating curved spacetime signatures from a giant quantum vortex” by Patrik Švančara, Pietro Smaniotto, Leonardo Solidoro, James F. MacDonald, Sam Patrick, Ruth Gregory, Carlo F. Barenghi and Silke Weinfurtner, 20 March 2024, Nature.
DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07176-8