Hey!
I am a low-temperature experimental physicist fascinated by the strange and beautiful world of quantum fluids.
I work as a permanent researcher at Institut Néel in France, where I explore the hydrodynamics of superfluid helium and the behaviour of quantum vortices. In my previous role at the University of Notingham, I created the largest superfluid vortex flows ever made, which act as powerful simulators of black hole physics. This research, bringing together condensed matter, general relativity, and quantum field theory, was published in Nature in 2024.
Outside the lab, I am passionate about sharing the excitement of science. During my time at Charles University, I helped lead national physics and math competitions Výfuk and Náboj Junior. Many of the intriguing problems that appeared in these competitions are now published in two books I co-authored. I have also led the development of Photon Bricks, a hands-on laser interferometer built from LEGO bricks that makes cutting-edge physics both playful and accessible.
I was born in 1994 in Trenčín, Slovakia.
Latest news
New paper on the black-hole bomb!
Since the creation of the giant quantum vortex experiment in 2023, we’ve been observing that—for some experimental parameters—the vortex can develop a significant sloshing motion. Now we can say that this instability relates to the physics of black holes: in our experiment, we recover the experimental black-hole bomb and identify its previously
Talk for the SCALES community
Quantum vortices on camera: visualisation of vortex structures in superfluid helium This is an introductory talk, in which I reviewed recent works on visualising vortex structures in superfluid helium. I explained how we cool helium to near absolute zero to enter its superfluid state and employ specialised techniques like trapping
Paper on digital holography as Editors’ Suggestion in Physical Review Applied
The paper demonstrates how digital holopraphy (a sensitive optical technique) can be implemented in the extreme cold, to detect waves propagating on the surface of superfluid helium. A big team stands behind this effort, as our experiments required building two cryogenic systems, two optical set-ups and lots of coding to
First ICE Talks speaker
At the beginning of July, I had the opportunity to speak about superfluid helium, black holes, and what being a scientist actually means, in my hometown, Trencin. Bringing physics to the city park was a great honour. Many thanks to the wonderful audience and to @techpulse.tn for inviting me as
New paper on perturbed vortex lattices
My first paper with my new team at the CNRS is out! When superfluid helium is subjected to steady rotation, quantum vortices align with the rotation axis and spontaneously form a regular lattice. We prepared this lattice in a rotating cryostat, perturbed it with a constant heat flux, and visualised
Welcome(d) at the CNRS
I am returning from Paris, where a welcome event dedicated to newly hired CNRS researchers took place. It was amazing to witness how many new people (and new ideas) join the institution each year!