If you take helium gas and you cool it at atmospheric pressure to 4.2 K it becomes a liquid. Keep cooling to 2.2 K and the helium enters its superfluid phase, called helium II.
Superfluid helium has several very useful properties and is used in science and technology in multi-tonne quantities today. In particular, helium II is an exceptionally good conductor of heat and this combined with its low temperature means that the superfluid is ideal for cooling components made from superconducting materials.
To learn more about how helium II is used in science and industry, Physics World spoke to John Weisend II who is a senior accelerator engineer at the European Spallation Source and an adjunct professor of engineering at Lund University in Sweden. He is author of Superfluid: How a Quantum Fluid Revolutionized Modern Science and he shares his passion for helium II with Hamish Johnston.
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