Optical effects of the gravitationally induced concentration gradient in tricritical /sup 3/He-/sup 4/He

Conference · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1984

OSTI ID:6813461

Shiah, S S; Hoffer, J K

Tricritical scaling is used to calculate the gravitationally induced concentration gradients (par. delta x/par. delta z)/sub T/ in near-tricritical mixtures of /sup 3/He-/sup 4/He. It is shown that superfluid and normal fluid can coexist at temperatures above the tricritical temperature, separated by a point where (par. delta x/par. delta z)/sub T/ diverges weakly. Calculations of the refraction of light induced by (par. delta x/par. delta z)/sub T/ are presented that reveal the presence of a sharp kink in the refraction angle ..cap alpha.., leading to the physical observation of an interface between coexisting normal and superfluid phases.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6813461
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-84-944; CONF-840842-2; ON: DE84009972
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640450* -- Fluid Physics-- Superfluidity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CRITICAL TEMPERATURE
DISPERSIONS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
FLUIDS
HELIUM 3
HELIUM 4
HELIUM I
HELIUM II
HELIUM ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
LIGHT SCATTERING
MIXTURES
NUCLEI
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
QUANTUM FLUIDS
REFRACTION
SCATTERING
STABLE ISOTOPES
STRUCTURE FACTORS
SUPERFLUIDITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
TRANSITION TEMPERATURE