Scientists have, for the first time, characterized so-called
quantum vortices that swirl within tiny droplets of liquid helium. The
research, led by scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab), the University of Southern
California, and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, confirms that helium
nanodroplets are in fact the smallest possible superfluidic objects and opens
new avenues for studying quantum rotation.