Following the publication of our paper on the giant superfluid vortex, the team behind
Veritasium, one of the world's most popular science YouTube channels, got in touch with us after coming across our glass cryostat. What followed was a collaboration spanning more than a year and a half, with the shared ambition of bringing to life the historical experiments that led to the discovery of superfluidity in liquid helium.
Over the course of a full week of filming at the Black Hole Laboratory in Nottingham, we recreated a series of classic experiments demonstrating the properties of superfluid helium, from the famous rolling-film experiment to the thermally driven fountain effect. The filming brought together several members of our group: Chris Goodwin, Patrik Švančara, Pietro Smaniotto, Leonardo Solidoro and Ilaria Dimina carried out the experiments and worked closely with the production crew, while our PI, Silke Weinfurtner, Cameron Bunney, and Vitor Barroso contributed to the scientific discussions and development of the video's content. The result is a stunning 4K film, featuring spectacular footage that captures the behaviour of superfluid helium in extraordinary detail.
During their visit, Veritasium's host Derek Muller also joined our annual science communication conference, SciOut, where he gave a talk about his journey as a science communicator and took part in a discussion with Dr Tom Crawford.
