Rotating curved spacetime signatures from a giant quantum vortex. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38509373/)

These scientists created a special setup in a lab called a gravity simulator, which helps them study how things move in curved spacetime, like in outer space. They used a superfluid called liquid helium, which is a special type of liquid that can flow without any friction.

In their experiment, the scientists were trying to stabilize a very big swirling motion called a giant quantum vortex in the superfluid helium. This vortex had thousands of tiny swirling parts inside it. They were able to keep this vortex stable, even though it's usually very hard to do that in other systems.

To see how the vortex was moving, the scientists used small waves on the surface of the superfluid helium and studied how they interacted with the swirling vortex. They found some interesting patterns and even saw some similarities to black holes in space.

Overall, this study helps us understand how things move in curved spacetime and opens up new ways to explore these concepts using superfluid helium as a simulator.

Svancara P., Smaniotto P., Solidoro L., MacDonald JF., Patrick S., Gregory R., Barenghi CF., Weinfurtner S. Rotating curved spacetime signatures from a giant quantum vortex. Nature. 2024 Mar 20. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07176-8.