X-ray coherent diffractive imaging of superfluid helium nandroplets

Speaker:  Alexandra J. Feinberg, USC

Program Description:
Bosonic, superfluid helium-4 can exhibit quantum mechanical properties at the macroscopic level. An example is the manifestation of “quantum vortices” that arise when the superfluid rotates. Using ultrafast X-ray coherent diffractive imaging at SLAC’s LCLS, quantum vortex structures within individual droplets of superfluid helium-4 were investigated using atomic and molecular dopants as contrast agents. The droplets were compared with that of fermionic helium-3, which acts as a vortex-devoid normal fluid. I will also discuss related experiments performed at the European XFEL to experimentally investigate J.J. Thomson’s problem using highly ionized helium-4 droplets.