Superfluid

Unless you are a specialist or watch a lot of obscure YouTube videos you have probably never heard of He II or superfluid helium. This substance, a unique liquid form of the element helium, is produced and used in multi-ton quantities to enable much of modern science. Altogether, He II is at the heart of more than a dozen large scale scientific facilities world-wide representing an investment of tens of billions of dollars. It cools the magnets and cavities that contain and accelerate the particle beams at the Large Hadron Collider and is also used in accelerators for the study of rare isotopes and nuclear astrophysics. This little known liquid is, in reality, one of the enabling technologies of the future. A manifestation of quantum mechanics, He II exhibits amazing behaviors. It can flow up the side of a container against gravity, it can move through small openings without friction, and it can transfer heat extremely efficiently via a mechanism not seen elsewhere in nature.            This work is meant for the general reader. Without assuming any expertise in physics, engineering or mathematics, it illuminates for the general public a little-known area of science and engineering and shows why it matters. As it turns out, it's also a good story.