Tiny Objects in Light Superfluid Move Against Flow, Defying Expectations
Superfluids are intriguing states of matter in which particles behave like a giant collective wave, allowing them to flow without any friction. When this fluid flows past a fixed obstacle at a velocity below a specific threshold, it moves around it without slowing down or exerting any drag. Above this critical velocity, however, the superfluid state starts to break down, and the energy from the flow dissipates in the form of ripples and vortices in the fluid.
Researchers have observed a counterintuitive phenomenon in a superfluid of light, where tiny objects can move upstream against the flow under specific conditions. This behavior was studied in a system where light exhibits superfluid properties, flowing without friction. While superfluids typically move around obstacles below a critical velocity, this research shows a mobile obstacle can actively swim against the current. The experiment, conducted at Sorbonne University and other institutions, used a full-optical setup with nonlinear monochromatic light. This unexpected 'upstream swimming' effect has become the central focus of their investigation, challenging previous understandings of superfluid dynamics.
This discovery challenges fundamental physics principles regarding fluid dynamics and opens new avenues for research in quantum optics and superfluids.
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