Rotating curved spacetime signatures from a giant quantum vortex

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Quantum Field Theory
• Laboratory Astrophysics

Background:

• Gravity simulators use superfluids to mimic curved spacetime phenomena.
• Superfluid systems are crucial for verifying quantum field theory in curved spacetime.
• Simulating rotating black holes requires extensive vortex flow in superfluids.

Purpose of the Study:

• To stabilize a stationary giant quantum vortex in superfluid 4He.
• To overcome inherent instabilities of multiply quantized vortices.
• To develop a method for characterizing vortex flow in superfluid systems.

Main Methods:

• Stabilization of a giant quantum vortex in superfluid 4He.
• Characterization of vortex flow using micrometre-scale surface waves.
• Observation of wave-vortex interactions, including bound states and ringdown signatures.

Main Results:

• A stationary giant quantum vortex with thousands of circulation quanta was stabilized.
• The vortex core is compact, surpassing limitations in other physical systems.
• Analogue black hole ringdown signatures and bound states were observed.

Conclusions:

• Superfluid helium can be used to simulate rotating curved spacetimes.
• This work opens new avenues for exploring quantum-to-classical vortex transitions.
• The stabilized vortex advances the use of superfluids as quantum field theory simulators.