a b s t r a c tNanowires of niobium, platinum and indium-lead In 88 Pb 12 alloy with diameters of 4.2, 3.6 and 8 nm, respectively, were grown in quantized vortices of superfluid helium, and the dependences of their resistance on temperature have been studied. Through a detailed comparison of these dependences we present evidence that superconducting niobium wires allow a high rate of quantum phase slip. This phase slippage leads to a phase transition to an insulating state at T ? 0.