A team of scientists successfully simulated the conditions of a black hole by creating a quantum vortex in superfluid helium, shedding light on gravitational interactions in distorted space-time and quantum field theories. For the first time, scientists have created a giant quantum vortex to simulate a black hole in superfluid helium; thus allowing them to see in more detail how analog black holes behave and interact with their environment.

Research conducted by the University of Nottingham in collaboration with King’s College London and the University of Newcastle has created a new experimental platform: the quantum tornado. They created a giant spinning vortex in superfluid helium cooled to the lowest possible temperatures. By observing the dynamics of tiny waves on the surface of a superfluid, the research team showed that these quantum hurricanes mimic the gravitational conditions near spinning black holes. The research was published today Nature.

Innovative experimental setup

The lead author of the paper is Dr. D. from the School of Mathematical Sciences at the University of Nottingham. Patrick Svankara explains: “Using superfluid helium allowed us to study small surface waves in more detail and precision than in our previous experiments in water. Because the viscosity of superfluid helium is extremely low, we were able to carefully study their interaction with the superfluid tornado and compare the results with our own theoretical predictions.” .”

The team created a special cryogenic system that can contain several liters of superfluid helium at temperatures below -271 °C. At this temperature, liquid helium acquires unusual quantum properties. These properties generally prevent the formation of giant vortices in other quantum fluids, such as ultracold atomic gases or quantum light fluids. This system demonstrates how the superfluid helium surface acts as a stabilizing force for these objects.

Information about the physics of black holes

Researchers have found intriguing parallels between eddy currents and the gravitational effect of black holes on surrounding space-time. This achievement opens new avenues for modeling finite-temperature quantum field theories in the complex world of warped spacetime.

Professor Silke Weinfurtner, who led the study at the Black Hole Laboratory where this experiment was developed, emphasizes the importance of this work: “It is a breakthrough moment when we first observe clear signs of black hole physics in our first analog experiment in 2017. It is a breakthrough moment that is often difficult, if not impossible, to study otherwise.” “Understanding some strange phenomena. Now, with our more complex experiments, we have taken this research to the next level, which may ultimately lead us to predict the behavior of quantum fields in the distorted space-time around astrophysical black holes.”