Structure in thin superfluid helium films

Journal Article · Wed Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1990 · Journal of Low Temperature Physics; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00686097· OSTI ID:6607515

Shirron, P J; Gillis, K A; Mochel, J M ^[1]

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1. Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (USA)

Precision measurements of third sound in atomically thin {sup 4}He films on Ne, Ar, and CO{sub 2} substrates reveal a periodic structure not corresponding to whole layers. Treating the He film as an incompressible, continuous fluid, the data indicate that the chemical potential has a contribution proportional to {ell}{sup {minus}6}, where {ell} is the He coverage in layers, which is modulated at intervals of 0.62{plus minus}0.04 layers and which weakens the van der Waals potential. Alternatively the data indicates the existence in the film of a damped smectic density wave with a 0.54{plus minus}0.40 layer periodicity.

• OSTI ID: 6607515
• Journal Information: Journal of Low Temperature Physics; (USA), Journal Name: Journal of Low Temperature Physics; (USA) Vol. 78:3-4; ISSN 0022-2291; ISSN JLTPA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640450* -- Fluid Physics-- Superfluidity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
DATA
DATA ANALYSIS
DENSITY
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
FILMS
HELIUM 4
HELIUM ISOTOPES
INFORMATION
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MEASURING METHODS
NUCLEI
NUMERICAL DATA
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
STABLE ISOTOPES
SUPERFLUIDITY
THIN FILMS
THIRD SOUND