Scientists have created a ‘giant quantum vortex’ modeled after a black hole
Black holes are difficult to study, so physicists have “built” a powerful quantum vortex inside a vat of superfluid helium that acts as a black hole simulator. Giant quantum vortices help scientists study the evolution of black holes. Vortices represent a circulating flow, or electric current, in a special form of liquid helium and exhibit quantum effects. Its properties are similar to the behavior of a black hole, and it can act as a kind of simulator. Near a black hole, the laws of gravity and quantum physics interact, producing effects not observed elsewhere in the universe. As such, astrophysicists want to learn as much as possible about these regions. “Many interesting physical processes occur around black holes, but most of them remain beyond our understanding,” said Silke Weinfurtner of the University of Nottingham in the UK. “We will use quantum simulators like this to study phenomena that occur around black holes.” To develop the quantum simulator, Weinfurtner and his colleagues used superfluid helium, which has an unusually low viscosity of 1/500th that of water. Because it moves virtually without friction, this form of helium exhibits unusual quantum effects and is also known as a quantum fluid. Physicists put helium in a container with a propeller at the bottom. As the propeller rotated, a tornado-like vortex was generated in the fluid. Other experiments that did not use superfluid helium produced similar vortices, but their strength was typically several orders of magnitude weaker,” said Patrick Au, a researcher at the University of Nottingham and a member of the team.・Mr. Vanara said. “The strength and size of the vortex are very important to create an observable interaction between the vortex and the remaining liquid in the tank,” the expert added. Scientists found that the vortices formed in this project were several millimeters in diameter. And this is much larger than other stable vortices that have occurred in quantum fluids in the past. In quantum fluids, the rotation only occurs in small “packets” or quanta, which are actually small vortices themselves, so creating such large eddy currents is very problematic. Scientists found that the vortices formed in this project were several millimeters in diameter. And this is much larger than other stable vortices that have occurred in quantum fluids in the past. In quantum fluids, the rotation only occurs in small “packets” or quanta, which are actually small vortices themselves, so creating such large eddy currents is very problematic. If too much accumulates, stability will be lost. However, this experimental setup allowed physicists to combine more than 40,000 rotating quanta to form a so-called “giant quantum vortex.” In the experiment, the researchers observed how small waves in a liquid interacted with vortices. Much the same thing happens in space when black holes interact with the regions they orbit. Researchers also found evidence of a black hole phenomenon called ringdown mode. Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity explains in detail what happens when two black holes collide. Scientists have created a ‘giant quantum vortex’ modeled after a black hole Black holes are difficult to study, so physicists have “built” a powerful quantum vortex inside a vat of superfluid helium that acts as a black hole simulator. Giant quantum vortices help scientists study the evolution of black holes. Vortices represent a circulating flow, or electric current, in a special form of liquid helium and exhibit quantum effects. Its properties are similar to the behavior of a black hole, and it acts as a kind of simulator. Physicists have successfully created a “giant quantum vortex” that mimics a black hole. Physicists say black holes are difficult to study