Nottingham, United Kingdom – Physicists in Nottingham are conducting groundbreaking research by using superfluid helium to create a vortex that replicates the behavior of black holes. This innovative experiment allows scientists to gain unprecedented insights into how black holes affect the space-time around them.
Led by physicist Patrik Švančara from the University of Nottingham, the research team has harnessed the unique properties of superfluid helium-4, cooled to just above absolute zero, to generate a ‘quantum tornado’ with outstanding strength in the realm of quantum fluids. By confining thousands of quantum vortices in a compact object resembling a small tornado, the researchers have been able to study the interactions within the vortex flow, drawing parallels to the influence of spinning black holes on curved space-time.
Black holes, known for their extreme and mysterious nature, present a significant challenge for scientific study due to their elusive behavior. By creating black hole analogs like the superfluid vortex, researchers hope to shed light on various aspects of black hole phenomena, such as the formation of bound states and the ringdown process of newly formed black holes.
This innovative approach to studying black hole physics has already yielded promising results, with clear signatures of black hole behavior observed in previous analog experiments. Physicist Silke Weinfurtner of the University of Nottingham emphasizes the significance of this research in expanding our understanding of the complex phenomena associated with black holes and their impact on quantum fields in curved spacetimes.
The team’s findings, recently published in Nature, mark a significant milestone in black hole science. With the successful demonstration of their experiment, the researchers are paving the way for further advancements in predicting the behavior of quantum fields in the vicinity of astrophysical black holes. This groundbreaking research not only deepens our knowledge of black hole physics but also opens up new avenues for exploring the intricate dynamics of these enigmatic cosmic entities.