University of British Columbia Department of Chemistry

New Capabilities

As of May 2026: Leading institution in quantum fluids research

Scientists trapped hydrogen molecules in frozen helium droplets at nearly absolute zero and watched them flow without friction—the first direct observation of superfluidity in a molecule. When they spun a methane molecule inside clusters of 15-to-20 hydrogen molecules, it rotated forever without slowing down, confirming a 1972 prediction by Nobel laureate Vitaly Ginzburg.

Updated May 19