Superfluidity
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Superfluidity is a state of matter where fluid or a liquid can act very strangely.
Some of the things a superfluid can do are:
- It can flow extremely easily. (How easily a liquid can flow is called its viscosity.) In fact, it flows so easily that friction does not change the way it flows; it has zero viscosity. Because of this, it can actually flow out of a container, like a bowl, even when the bowl is not tipped so the liquid can spill out.
- It stays still when its container is spun, instead of starting a whirlpool like when a sink full of water is drained. However, a whirlpool does form if the container is spun at and above a certain speed.
So far, scientists have only been able to create superfluids at extremely cold temperatures. However, superfluids have quite a few uses in science today, like:
- Superfluid Helium at nearly absolute zero -271.4 degrees Celsius [-456.2 degrees Fahrenheit] was used in a special satellite in 1983 to get information on infrared waves in space.
- Superfluids can be used in gyroscopes, to help machines predict information about gravity movements that can't be picked up with regular instruments only.
- One kind of superfluid was used to trap and slow down a beam of light from its normal speed of 670,600,000 mph (1,079,000,000 km/h) to only 38.03 mph (62.2 km/h) That means the beam of light was moving at .00000567104 % of its speed in a vacuum, or 17 million times slower.
There is also another state of matter called a supersolid, although how they are formed is more complex.
Superfluidity Media
Helium II will "creep" along surfaces in order to find its own level—after a short while, the levels in the two containers will equalize. The Rollin film also covers the interior of the larger container; if it were not sealed, the helium II would creep out and escape.
The liquid helium is in the superfluid phase. A thin invisible film creeps up the inside wall of the bowl and down on the outside. A drop forms. It will fall off into the liquid helium below. This will repeat until the cup is empty—provided the liquid remains superfluid.
