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Supersolid helium.

Author(s) : BEAMISH J.

Type of article: Article

Summary

Superfluids flow without resistance. It's hard to imagine, but quantum mechanically possible, that solids should do the same at low enough temperatures. Helium-4 might be the first known 'supersolid'. At temperatures below 2.176 K, helium-4 enters a superfluid state and flows without friction. This 'perpetual motion' makes fluidity - perhaps even more than its electronic counterpart, superconductivity - the most dramatic manifestation of quantum mechanics on a macroscopic scale. Despite its appeal, and despite many searches for superfluidity in other systems, it remains an uncommon phenomenon.

Details

  • Original title: Supersolid helium.
  • Record ID : 2004-1527
  • Languages: English
  • Source: Nature - vol. 427 - n. 6971
  • Publication date: 2004/01/15
  • Document available for consultation in the library of the IIR headquarters only.

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