Rotating curved spacetime signatures from a giant quantum vortex

Patrik Švančara (), Pietro Smaniotto, Leonardo Solidoro, James F. MacDonald, Sam Patrick, Ruth Gregory, Carlo F. Barenghi and Silke Weinfurtner ()
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Patrik Švančara: University of Nottingham
Pietro Smaniotto: University of Nottingham
Leonardo Solidoro: University of Nottingham
James F. MacDonald: University of Nottingham
Sam Patrick: King’s College London, University of London
Ruth Gregory: King’s College London, University of London
Carlo F. Barenghi: Newcastle University
Silke Weinfurtner: University of Nottingham

Nature, 2024, vol. 628, issue 8006, 66-70

Abstract: Abstract Gravity simulators1 are laboratory systems in which small excitations such as sound2 or surface waves3,4 behave as fields propagating on a curved spacetime geometry. The analogy between gravity and fluids requires vanishing viscosity2–4, a feature naturally realized in superfluids such as liquid helium or cold atomic clouds5–8. Such systems have been successful in verifying key predictions of quantum field theory in curved spacetime7–11. In particular, quantum simulations of rotating curved spacetimes indicative of astrophysical black holes require the realization of an extensive vortex flow12 in superfluid systems. Here we demonstrate that, despite the inherent instability of multiply quantized vortices13,14, a stationary giant quantum vortex can be stabilized in superfluid 4He. Its compact core carries thousands of circulation quanta, prevailing over current limitations in other physical systems such as magnons5, atomic clouds6,7 and polaritons15,16. We introduce a minimally invasive way to characterize the vortex flow17,18 by exploiting the interaction of micrometre-scale waves on the superfluid interface with the background velocity field. Intricate wave–vortex interactions, including the detection of bound states and distinctive analogue black hole ringdown signatures, have been observed. These results open new avenues to explore quantum-to-classical vortex transitions and use superfluid helium as a finite-temperature quantum field theory simulator for rotating curved spacetimes19.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-07176-8

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