Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 9, 2026

Preparation of Free-Surface Hyperbolic Water Vortices
Published on: July 28, 2023
Holographic vortex liquids and superfluid turbulence
Paul M Chesler1, Hong Liu, Allan Adams
1Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. pchesler@mit.edu
Abstract:
Superfluid turbulence is a fascinating phenomenon for which a satisfactory theoretical framework is lacking. Holographic duality provides a systematic approach to studying such quantum turbulence by mapping the dynamics of a strongly interacting quantum liquid into the dynamics of classical gravity. We use this gravitational description to numerically construct turbulent flows in a holographic superfluid in two spatial dimensions. We find that the superfluid kinetic energy spectrum obeys the Kolmogorov -5/3 scaling law, with energy injected at long wavelengths undergoing a direct cascade to short wavelengths where dissipation by vortex annihilation and vortex drag becomes efficient. This dissipation has a simple gravitational interpretation as energy flux across a black hole event horizon.
Related Concept Videos
Laminar and Turbulent Flow
Viscosity
The SI unit of viscosity is...
Characteristics of Fluids
Characteristics of Fluids
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...
Types of Fluids
In contrast, non-Newtonian fluids do not follow Newton's law of viscosity, and their...
Two Components: Liquid–Liquid Systems

