Researchers at the University of Queensland have shed light on how tiny whirlpools (vortices) get stuck to obstacles in superfluids.
The research, conducted by physicists from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Low-Energy Electronics Technologies (FLEET), reveal the fundamental mechanisms of vortex pinning and unpinning in a two-dimensional superfluid.
Once this enhanced theoretical knowledge of vortex pinning is confirmed in experiments in ultracold superfluid systems, extension to room-temperature superfluid systems could aid vortex control in future ultra-energy-efficient superfluid electronics.
