Particle detection using superfluid helium
We have observed 5 MeV {alpha} particles stopped in volumes-up to two liters of liquid helium at 70 mK. A fraction of the kinetic energy of an {alpha} particle is converted to elementary excitations (rotons and phonons), which progagate ballistically in isotopically pure {sup 4}He below 0.1 K. Most of these excitations have sufficient energy to evaporate helium atoms on hitting a free surface. The evaporated helium atoms can be detected calorimetrically when adsorbed on a thin silicon wafer ({approximately}1.7 g, 35 cm{sup 2}) suspended above the liquid. Temperature changes of the silicon are measured with a NTD germanium bolometer. For the geometry studied the observed temperature change of the silicon resulting from an {alpha} event in the liquid is approximately 5% of the temperature rise from an {alpha} hitting the silicon directly. The implications of these measurements will be discussed as they relate to the possible construction of a large scale detector of solar neutrinos.
- Research Organization:
- Brown Univ., Providence, RI (United States). Dept. of Physics
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-88ER40452
- OSTI ID:
- 10137502
- Report Number(s):
- DOE/ER/40452-6; CONF-9109357-1; ON: DE92011603
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 6. international workshop on low temperature particle detectors,Oxford (United Kingdom),5 Sep 1991; Other Information: PBD: [1991]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS
SHOWER COUNTERS
SUPERFLUIDITY
SOLAR NEUTRINOS
NEUTRINO DETECTION
SI SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
HELIUM
ALPHA PARTICLES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
440104
662320
HIGH ENERGY PHYSICS INSTRUMENTATION
NEUTRINO INTERACTIONS