Imaging Quantum Vortices in Superfluid Helium Droplets

Journal Article · Fri Jun 14 00:00:00 EDT 2019 · Annual Review of Physical Chemistry

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-physchem-042018-052744· OSTI ID:1845092

Gessner, Oliver ^[1]; Vilesov, Andrey F. ^[2]

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1. Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
2. Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)

Free superfluid helium droplets constitute a versatile medium for a diverse range of experiments in physics and chemistry that extend from studies of the fundamental laws of superfluid motion to the synthesis of novel nanomaterials. In particular, the emergence of quantum vortices in rotating helium droplets is one of the most dramatic hallmarks of superfluidity and gives detailed access to the wave function describing the quantum liquid. This review provides an introduction to quantum vorticity in helium droplets, followed by a historical account of experiments on vortex visualization in bulk superfluid helium and a more detailed discussion of recent advances in the study of the rotational motion of isolated, nano- to micrometer-scale superfluid helium droplets. Ultrafast X-ray and extreme ultraviolet scattering techniques enabled by X-ray free-electron lasers and high-order harmonic generation in particular have facilitated the in situ detection of droplet shapes and the imaging of vortex structures inside individual, isolated droplets. Here, new applications of helium droplets ranging from studies of quantum phase separations to mechanisms of low-temperature aggregation are discussed.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division
• Grant/Contract Number: AC02-05CH11231
• OSTI ID: 1845092
• Journal Information: Annual Review of Physical Chemistry, Journal Name: Annual Review of Physical Chemistry Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 70; ISSN 0066-426X
• Publisher: Annual Reviews
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY
4He
X-ray coherent diffractive imaging
free-electron lasers
helium nanodroplets
quantum vortices
superfluidity