cool them enough and some atoms grovel up paries or stay still while the bowl they seat in rotates , thanks to a quantum effect call superfluidity . Now molecules have got in on the turn .
Superfluidity is a off-the-wall consequence of quantum mechanics . Cool helium molecule closely to absolute zero and they start do as a single quantum object rather than a group of individual atoms . At this temperature , the rubbing that normally exists between molecule , and between speck and other object , vanishes , creating what is known as a superfluid .
To see if molecules could be made superfluid , Robert McKellar of the National Research Council of Canada in Ottawaand co-worker turned to hydrogen , which live as pairs of atoms . The squad create a compressed mix of H and carbon paper dioxide gas and shot it through a schnozzle at supersonic speed . Once release , the molecules spread aside , cool and do themselves so that each CO2 molecule sit at the centre of a cluster of up to 20 hydrogen .
To test for superfluidity , the team strike an infrared optical maser at the clusters at wavelengths that CO2 , but not H , can absorb . This set only the CO2 molecules vibrate . Under normal conditions this apparent movement would be slowed down due to friction between the move CO2 molecule and the fence hydrogen . But the researchers found that for clusters of 12 hydrogen molecules , the hydrogen barely impeded the motion of the CO2 .
They conclude that these atomic number 1 clusters are 85 per cent superfluid ( Physical Review Letters , DOI : 10.1103 / PhysRevLett.105.133401 ) .
As hydrogen is only the second element known to mould a superfluid , McKellar says the experimentation could be utile for disentangle worldwide qualities of superfluids .
Superfluid molecules might also be used as “ nano - fridges ” , which smother and cool individual protein molecules . Superfluid helium atoms are already used for this but , unlike speck , particle can deflect and extend , which might give young ways to falsify the cooled protein .
prototype by Don Farral / Getty
This post originally appeared onNew Scientist
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