Scintillation and quantum evaporation generated by single monoenergetic electrons stopped in superfluid helium
- Brown Univ., Providence, RI (United States). Dept. of Physics
For several years the authors have been studying the energy deposition in liquid helium at low temperatures by energetic charged particles. This work is motivated by interest in developing a detector for neutrinos emanating from the p-p reaction in the sun. An electron stopped in superfluid helium generates phonons and rotons in the liquid as well as uv photons via scintillation. They report recent measurements with single 364 keV electrons. A sapphire wafer with a superconducting transition-edge sensor is mounted above the liquid and can measure energy and timing information of individual events. The authors observe both uv photons and the quantum evaporation of helium atoms resulting from phonons and rotons generated by the ionizing particle in the liquid. The production of photons and rotons is strikingly different for an electron and for an alpha particle. The origin of the differences is associated with the different density of excitations along the tracks of an alpha particle and an electron.
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States); National Science Foundation, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FG02-88ER40452
- OSTI ID:
- 302315
- Journal Information:
- Journal of Low Temperature Physics, Vol. 113, Issue 5-6; Other Information: DN: Paper presented at the international symposium on quantum fluids and solids, June 9--14, 1998, Amherst, MA (US); PBD: Dec 1998
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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