No storm in a teacup - it’s a cyclone on a silicon chip

University of Queensland researchers have combined quantum liquids and silicon-chip technology to study turbulence for the first time, opening the door to new navigation technologies and improved understanding of the turbulent dynamics of cyclones and other extreme weather. Professor Warwick Bowen, from UQ's Precision Sensing Initiative and the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Engineered Quantum Systems said the finding was "a significant advance" and provided a new way to study turbulence. "Turbulence is often described as the oldest unsolved problem in physics ," Professor Bowen said. "Our finding allows us to observe nanoscale quantum turbulence, which mirrors the sort of behaviour you see in cyclones. "This advance is enabled by the properties of quantum liquids, which are fundamentally different to everyday liquids." Professor Bowen said it was postulated more than 50 years ago that the turbulence problem could be simplified using quantum liquids. "Our new technique is exciting because it allows quantum turbulence to be studied on a silicon chip for the first time," he said. The research also had implications in space, where quantum liquids are predicted to exist within dense astrophysical objects.