The dense core of a nearby collapsed star is undergoing a rapid chill, providing the first direct evidence that such stars can produce a superfluid of neutrons – a state of matter that cannot be created in laboratories on Earth.
Neutron stars are the remnants of exploded stars. Their cores are so dense that atomic nuclei dissolve, and protons and electrons combine to form a soup dominated by neutrons.
If conditions are right, these neutrons ought to be able to pair up to form a superfluid – a substance with quantum properties that mean it flows with zero friction. Superfluids formed in laboratories can do bizarre things such as creep up the walls of a cup, or remain still even while their container is made to spin.
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