superfluidity

views updated May 29 2018

superfluidity Property of a liquid that has no viscosity and therefore no resistance to flow. Helium II – liquid helium at temperatures less than 2K (−271°C/−456°F) – was the first known superfluid. Helium II apparently defies gravity by flowing up slopes. It also appears to contravene the laws of thermodynamics, by flowing from a cool region to a warmer one. See also cryogenics