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Sep 21, 2020

Why there is no speed limit in the superfluid universe

Posted by in category: physics

Physicists from Lancaster University have established why objects moving through superfluid helium-3 lack a speed limit in a continuation of earlier Lancaster research.

Helium-3 is a rare isotope of helium, in which one neutron is missing. It becomes at extremely low temperatures, enabling unusual properties such as a lack of friction for moving objects.

It was thought that the of objects moving through was fundamentally limited to the critical Landau velocity, and that exceeding this speed limit would destroy the superfluid. Prior experiments in Lancaster have found that it is not a strict rule and objects can move at much greater speeds without destroying the fragile superfluid state.

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