Exploring Quantum Turbulence from the Basics

Researchers at Aalto University have studied turbulence in the Helium-3 isotope in a unique, rotating ultra-low temperature refrigerator and found that Kelvin waves act on individual vortices by continually pushing energy to smaller and smaller scales, ultimately leading to the scale at which dissipation of energy takes place. This new understanding of how wave-like motion transfers energy from macroscopic to microscopic length scales could lead to improved engineering in domains where the flow and behavior of fluids and gases like water and air is a key question.