– Scientists at MIT have successfully imaged and observed “second sound” propagating through an exotic superfluid quantum gas for the first time. Second sound refers to the phenomenon where heat travels as a wave through such superfluids, rather than spreading out from the source as in normal materials.
– Normally heat spreads outward from its source and dissipates over time. But in superfluid quantum gases, heat can “slosh” back and forth like waves due to the fluid’s unique properties when cooled to ultra-low temperatures near absolute zero.
– To observe second sound, the MIT team developed a novel thermography technique using radio frequencies to track the movement of lithium-6 fermions within the superfluid, which change frequency according to temperature. This allowed them to map the propagation of localized hot regions as a wave over time.
– Understanding second sound better could help research into high-temperature superconductors and the physics of neutron stars. While exotic, studying superfluid properties provides insights relevant to other fields exploring novel materials behaviors.
SOURCE: popularmechanics
