December 4, 2012

The dance of quantum tornadoes




A quantum fluid trapped on top of a semiconductor chip can be used to measure movements to astonishing precision.

Tornado-like vortexes can be produced in bizarre fluids which are controlled by quantum mechanics, completely unlike normal liquids. New research published today in the journal Nature Communications demonstrates how massed ranks of these quantum twisters line up in rows, and paves the way for engineering quantum circuits and chips measuring motion ultra-precisely.