University of Chicago physicists have succeeded in creating a vortex knot—a feat akin to tying a smoke ring into a knot. Linked and knotted vortex loops have existed in theory for more than a century, ...

Researchers have observed three-dimensional magnetic vortex rings in a real-world magnetic material for the first time. Contrary to theoretical predictions, these rings – which are spin configurations ...

Turbulent ball: William Irvine, Takumi Matsuzawa and colleagues have used this apparatus to track turbulence with lasers and high-speed cameras. (Courtesy: Takumi Matsuzawa) Researchers in the US have ...

Researchers have created an optical device that can generate both electric and magnetic vortex-ring-like light patterns. These structured light vortices, known as skyrmions, are highly stable and ...

A century-old physics question had scientists and mathematicians in knots, until two researchers at the University of Chicago annihilated them. Dustin Kleckner, a postdoctoral scientist, and William ...

So long, solitons: University of Chicago physicists have shown that a group of scientists were incorrect when they concluded that a mysterious effect found in superfluids indicated the presence of ...

The same physics that gives tornadoes their ferocious stability lies at the heart of new research, and could lead to a better understanding of nuclear dynamics in studying fission, superconductors and ...

Here you see the good folks on QI shooting smoke rings across the room. Why does a donut-shaped cloud come out of a circular opening? Why are smokers able to blow smoke rings, even when they’re not ...

Kleckner and William Irvine, assistant professor in physics, report their findings on the creation and dynamics of vortex rings in Nature Physics, published online on March 3. Their work relates to ...