Nanoscale real-time detection of quantum vortices at millikelvin temperatures.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 33976214.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-021-22909-3 and PMC identifier 8113507.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Since we still lack a theory of classical turbulence, attention has focused on the conceptually simpler turbulence in quantum fluids. Reaching a better understanding of the quantum case may provide additional insight into the classical counterpart. That said, we have hitherto lacked detectors capable of the real-time, non-invasive probing of the wide range of length scales involved in quantum turbulence. Here we demonstrate the real-time detection of quantum vortices by a nanoscale resonant beam in superfluid <sup>4</sup>He at 10 mK. Essentially, we trap a single vortex along the length of a nanobeam and observe the transitions as a vortex is either trapped or released, detected through the shift in the beam resonant frequency. By exciting a tuning fork, we control the ambient vortex density and follow its influence on the vortex capture and release rates demonstrating that these devices are capable of probing turbulence on the micron scale.