Physicists replicate earliest days of the universe in super-chilled helium
Jan. 16 (UPI) -- Scientists have for the first time triggered quantum structures long-predicted by cosmologists. Researchers at Aalto University in Denmark observed "walls bound by strings" in superfluid helium-3. The breakthrough could allows scientists to better understand what the universe looked like in its earliest days, as it quickly cooled in the wake of the Big Bang. Helium is unique in it's ability to remain a fluid even at cryogenic temperatures. When supercooled, helium becomes a superfluid, which means it boasts zero viscosity. Superfluids can flow forever without losing energy. When trapped inside a nanostructure, superfluid phases of the isotope helium-3 can help scientists study unusual quantum structures called half-quantum vortices. The movement of helium inside these vor...