New evidence that weird quantum supersolid exists - physics-math - 18 November 2010 - New Scientist

New evidence that weird quantum supersolid exists: He suggested that the reason the cylinder switched more quickly at lower temperature was because the helium had become a wobbly "quantum plastic", a previously unknown phase of matter that is distinct from a supersolid. The increased elasticity of this new material allowed the cylinder to more easily reverse its rotation, he said.

To test whether Reppy was right, Kim spun the larger apparatus in which the cylinder sits: the apparatus spun in just one direction, while the cylinder spun one way, then the other, as it had before. He reasoned that elasticity should affect only how quickly the cylinder switched direction, not its actual spinning rate. Therefore if Reppy was right, and the solid helium was a quantum plastic, adding a constant underlying rotation should not change the results.

His team found, however, that it did. Unlike in the original experiment, the direction switches did not get faster with a falling temperature.