Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Fluid Mosaic Model

Fluid Mosaic Model

The fluid mosaic model was first proposed as a visual representation of research observations. The model comprises the composition and dynamics of membranes and serves as a foundation for future membrane-related studies. The model depicts the structure of the plasma membrane with a variety of components, which include phospholipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. These integral molecules are loosely bound, defining the cell’s border and providing fluidity for optimal function.LipidsThe most...

Fluid Mosaic Model

Fluid Mosaic Model

Scientists identified the plasma membrane in the 1890s and its principal chemical components (lipids and proteins) by 1915. The model for plasma membrane structure, proposed in 1935 by Hugh Davson and James Danielli, was the first model to be widely accepted in the scientific community. The model was based on the plasma membrane's "railroad track" appearance in early electron micrographs. Davson and Danielli theorized that the plasma membrane's structure resembled a sandwich with the analogy of...

Characteristics of Fluids

Characteristics of Fluids

When a force is applied parallel to the top surface of a solid, it resists the applied force due to the internal frictional forces between the layers of the solid known as shearing resistance. However, when the force is removed, the shearing forces restore the original shape of the solid. Other deformation forces also cause temporary changes in shape if the forces are not beyond a threshold magnitude. Solids tend to retain their shape, making the study of their rest and motion easier. Beyond...

Characteristics of Fluids

Characteristics of Fluids

Fluids differ from solids primarily in their molecular structure and stress response. Solids have tightly packed molecules with strong intermolecular forces, maintaining their shape and resisting deformation. In contrast, fluids have molecules spaced farther apart with weaker forces, allowing them to flow and deform easily.
Fluids, which include both liquids and gases, are substances that deform continuously under shearing stress. For example, water and oil are liquids with molecules that can...

The Wave Nature of Light

The Wave Nature of Light

The nature of light has been a subject of inquiry since antiquity. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton performed experiments with lenses and prisms and was able to demonstrate that white light consists of the individual colors of the rainbow combined together. Newton explained his optics findings in terms of a "corpuscular" view of light, in which light was composed of streams of extremely tiny particles traveling at high speeds according to Newton's laws of motion.

Viscosity

Viscosity

When water is poured into a glass, it falls freely and quickly, whereas if honey or maple syrup is poured over a pancake, it flows slowly and sticks to the surface of the container. This difference in the flow of different kinds of liquids arises due to the fluid friction between the liquid layers and the liquid and the surrounding material. This property of fluids is called fluid viscosity. In this example, water has a lower viscosity than honey and maple syrup.
The SI unit of viscosity is...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Harnessing vacuum forces for quantum sensing of graphene motion.

Physical review letters·2014

Same author

Level density of a Fermi gas: average growth and fluctuations.

Physical review letters·2006

See all related articles

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light

Published on: September 20, 2017

Superfluid motion of light.

Patricio Leboeuf¹, Simon Moulieras

¹Laboratoire de Physique Théorique et Modèles Statistiques, CNRS, Université Paris Sud, UMR8626, 91405 Orsay Cedex, France.

Physical Review Letters

|January 15, 2011

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Scientists explored superfluid motion of light, a quantum phenomenon. They observed superfluidity and its breakdown into a dissipative phase above a critical velocity in an optical system.

More Related Videos

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

Published on: October 31, 2019

Light-Induced In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy for Observation of the Liquid-Soft Matter Interaction

Light-Induced In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy for Observation of the Liquid-Soft Matter Interaction

Published on: July 26, 2022

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 5, 2026

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light

Preparation of Liquid Crystal Networks for Macroscopic Oscillatory Motion Induced by Light

Published on: September 20, 2017

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

High-Contrast and Fast Photorheological Switching of a Twist-Bend Nematic Liquid Crystal

Published on: October 31, 2019

Light-Induced In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy for Observation of the Liquid-Soft Matter Interaction

Light-Induced In Situ Transmission Electron Microscopy for Observation of the Liquid-Soft Matter Interaction

Published on: July 26, 2022

Area of Science:

Quantum physics
Optics
Condensed matter physics

Background:

Superfluidity is a quantum mechanical phenomenon characterized by frictionless flow.
Its observation in systems beyond cold atomic gases is a significant challenge.
Understanding quantum phenomena in light propagation is crucial for novel applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the possibility of achieving and observing superfluid motion of light.
To explore the conditions and mechanisms for superfluidity breakdown in an optical system.
To propose an experimental setup for demonstrating light superfluidity.

Main Methods:

Controlling the velocity of light packets relative to a defect in an optical medium.
Utilizing an array of waveguides to guide light propagation.
Observing the transition from dissipationless flow to a dissipative phase.

Main Results:

Demonstrated the presence of superfluidity in the motion of light.
Identified a critical velocity above which superfluidity breaks down.
Observed the onset of a dissipative phase as a signature of breakdown.

Conclusions:

Superfluid motion of light is achievable and observable.
The breakdown of light superfluidity is linked to a critical velocity and dissipative phase.
Waveguide arrays offer a viable platform for experimental realization and studying quantum phenomena in light transport.