Bigger Helium Nanodroplets without the Swirls

T he frictionless environments of helium nanodroplets makes them perfect for studying the self-organization of atoms andmolecules. However, if there are vortices inside these nanodroplets, this can hinder the assembly of some of these nanostructures. Now Anatoli Ulmer from the Technical University of Berlin and colleagues have developed a method for generating vortex-free helium nanodroplets with 1000 more helium atoms than previously possible [1]. The advance could enable researchers to study the self-assembly of a larger range of molecules.