Observation of Zero-Sound at Atomic Wave-Vectors in a Monolayer of Liquid 3He

The elementary excitations of a strongly interacting two-dimensional Fermi liquid have been investigated by inelastic neutron scattering in an experimental model system: a monolayer of liquid ³He adsorbed on graphite preplated by a monolayer of solid ⁴He. We observed for the first time the particle-hole excitations characterizing the Fermi liquid state of two-dimensional liquid ³He, and we were also able to identify the highly interesting zero-sound collective mode above a particle-hole band. Contrarily to bulk ³He, at low wave-vectors this mode lies very close to the particle-hole band. At intermediate wave-vectors, the collective mode enters the particle-hole band, where it is strongly broadened by Landau damping. At high wave-vectors, where the Landau theory is not applicable, the zero-sound collective mode reappears beyond the particle-hole band as a well defined excitation, with a dispersion relation quite similar to that of superfluid ⁴He. This spectacular effect is observed for the first time in a Fermi liquid (including plasmon excitations in electronic systems).     

Heat Capacity of Liquid 4He Confined in a Nanoporous Glass

We report a preliminary study of heat capacities of ⁴He confined in a nanoporous Gelsil glass that has nanopores of 2.5 nm in diameter. The heat capacity has a broad peak at a temperature far above the superfluid transition temperature obtained by torsional oscillator technique. The heat-capacity peak is attributed to formation of localized Bose-Einstein Condensates in the nanopores, in which the long-range superfluid coherence is destroyed by pore size distribution or random potential inherent to the porous glass.      

Quantum Size Effects in the Growth, Coarsening, and Properties of Ultra-thin Metal Films and Related Nanostructures

This review addresses the quantum mechanical nature of the formation and stability of ultrathin metal films. The competition between quantum confinement, charge spilling effects, and Friedel oscillations determines whether an atomically smooth metal film will be marginally, critically, or magically stable or totally unstable against roughening. Pb(111) films represent a special case, not only because of strong quantum oscillations in the stability of two-dimensional thin films but also because of the exceptionally fast coarsening of Pb nanoclusters. The latter appears to be due to the combined effects of size quantization and the existence of a unique mass exchange medium in the form of an unusually dense and highly dynamic wetting layer. The consequences of size quantization on the physical and chemical properties of the films are profound, some of which will be highlighted in this review.     

Developed Capillary Turbulence on the Surface of Normal and Superfluid 4He

The capillary turbulence on the surface of normal and superfluid liquid ⁴He has been studied experimentally. It is observed for the first time that the value of the high-frequency boundary ω _b of the inertial interval increases significantly when liquid helium transits from normal to superfluid state, and that in superfluid He-II the correlation function of the surface deviation from equilibrium state in frequency representation can be described well by a power dependence with the index m close to −4.3.      

Experiments on a High Quality Grid Oscillating in Superfluid 4He at Very Low Temperatures

We have investigated a copper-mesh grid oscillating at its fundamental (0, 1) Bessel mode in superfluid ⁴He for temperatures 10<T<1500 mK at a pressure of P=5 bar. The high quality factor (Q～10⁵) of the oscillator allowed us to observe new features of its response to a periodic drive which, at the lowest T, was found to depend on the prehistory of the helium. The experiments have confirmed the existence of two critical velocities, and we discuss whether these critical velocities are associated with quantized vortices.     

Dendritic Growth Pattern and Dendritic Network Distortion in the Platform of a Ni-based Superalloy

The pattern of dendritic growth and distortion of dendritic network in the platform have been investigated by one mold casting with different platform length during directional solidification. As the platform length elongates, the symmetry of dendritic growth along left and right edges gradually worsens in platform base. While the platform length reaches 14 mm, the distortion of dendritic network is first observed in outward platform. It is found that the distortion of dendritic network along platform inside is more serious than that along platform edges. Both [001] deviation and accumulated misorientation along platform inside, up to 9~ and 16.3~, respectively, are far greeter than those along left-outward-right edges. The deformation of dendritic network in a platform may be caused by the asymmetry of the solidification front at the mush zone.     

Nature and Growth of Interaction Layers Formed during the Reaction between Solid Ni and Liquid Al

The nature and growth of the interaction layers between solid Nb and liquid Al has been studied by carrying out the tests on Nb(s)-Al(l)and Nb(s)-Al(l)-Ni(s) reaction couples isothermally reacted between 700℃and 900℃for different time intervals.It has been found that the interaction layer between Nb and Al contains two parts:a thin continuous layer of NbAl3 adjacent to the Nb surface and a two-phase zone constituted of NbAl3 particles dispersed in an Al matrix.Although the nature and growth of interaction layers follows the sour-stage mechanism,a typical cruciform pattern does not occur in Nb(s)-Al(l) reaction couples.However,a cruciform pattern was observed in Nb(s)-Al(l)-Ni(s)reaction couples.The movement of NbAl3 particles is important to the production of cruciform pattern in the reaction couples.     

Infrared Absorption and Emission Spectrum of Electron Bubbles Attached to Linear Vortices in Liquid 4He

Within finite-range density-functional theory, we have addressed the infrared absorption and emission spectrum of electron bubbles attached to linear vortices in liquid ⁴He as a function of pressure. We have found that the presence of vortices affects very little the absorption spectrum, only causing a small shift in the 1s→2p peak. The energy of the lowest emission transition is also shown as a function of pressure for a vortex-free bubble and for a trapped bubble. In the emission energy the shift induced by the vortex line is proportionally bigger, especially when the waist around the electron probability density of the 1p state collapses, which happens at a pressure of ～8 bar.     

The Discontinuity in the First Derivative of the ITS-90 at the Triple Point of Water

This paper investigates the discontinuity in the derivative [dW/dT ₉₀]_TPW of the ITS-90 at the triple point of water, using data for over 40 calibrated standard platinum resistance thermometers (SPRTs). It finds that the discontinuity is in most cases somewhere between 0 and ?6 parts in 10⁵, in relative terms, but that the higher numerical values are obtained for ‘less ideal’ SPRTs (those with lower temperature coefficients of resistance), and also for sub-ranges not extending beyond the indium point. These results are investigated vis-à-vis the long-standing observation that the ITS-90 reference values W _r(Ga) and W _r(Hg) are not completely consistent with data for W(Ga) and W(Hg) for real SPRTs. It discusses what may be done in a future scale to ensure continuity in the first derivative, and it concludes with a comment about the acceptance criteria for SPRTs in the scale.     

The Decay of a Quantized Vortex Ring and the Influence of Tracer Particles

We capture the decay of a quantized vortex ring in superfluid helium-4 by imaging particles trapped on the vortex core. The ring shrinks in time, providing direct evidence for the dissipation of energy in the superfluid. The ring with trapped particles collapses more slowly than predicted by an available theory, but the collapse rate can be predicted correctly if the trapping of the particles on the core is taken into account. We theoretically explore the conditions under which particles may be considered passive tracers of quantized vortices and estimate, in particular, that their dynamics on the large-scale is largely unaffected by the burden of trapped particles if the latter are spaced by more than ten particle diameters along the vortex core, at temperatures between 1.5 K and 2.1 K.     

Thermophysical Properties of a Chromium–Nickel–Molybdenum Steel in the Solid and Liquid Phases

Numerical simulation of vacuum arc re-melting, pressurized or protective electro-slag re-melting, and ingot casting have become quite important in the metal industry. However, a major drawback of these simulation techniques is the lack of accurate thermophysical properties for temperatures above 1,500 K. Heat capacity, heat of fusion, density, and thermal conductivity are important input parameters for the heat transfer equation. Since, direct measurements of thermal conductivity of alloys in the liquid state are almost impossible, its estimation from electrical conductivity using the Wiedemann–Franz law is very useful. The afore-mentioned thermophysical properties of several steels are investigated within the context of an ongoing project. Here, we present a full set of thermophysical data for the chromium–nickel–molybdenum steel meeting the standard DIN 1.4435 (X2CrNiMo18-14-3); these values will be used by our partner to simulate various re-melting and solidification processes. Wire-shaped samples of the steel are resistively volume-heated, as part of a fast capacitor discharge circuit. Time-resolved measurements with sub-μs resolution of current through the specimen are performed with a Pearson probe. The voltage drop across the specimen is measured with knife-edge contacts and ohmic voltage dividers, the temperature of the sample with a pyrometer, and the volumetric expansion of the wire with a fast acting CCD camera. These measurements enable the heat of fusion, the heat capacity, and the electrical resistivity to be determined as a function of temperature in the solid and liquid phases. The thermal conductivity and thermal diffusivity are estimated via the Wiedemann–Franz law.     

Growth rates of Bénard-Marangoni convection in a fluid layer in the presence of a magnetic field

In this paper we analyze the effect of a uniform vertical magnetic field on the linear growth (and decay) rates of the steady Bénard-Marangoni instability in a horizontal layer of quiescent, electrically conducting fluid with a uniform vertical temperature gradient subject to a prescribed heat flux at its lower boundary. Explicit analytical expressions for the linear growth rates of long-waves instability modes are derived for the first time. The numerically-calculated linear growth (or decay) rates showing the stabilizing effect of the magnetic field are also presented.     

On the Structure of the Superfluid State and Quasiparticle Spectrum in a Bose Liquid with a Suppressed Bose–Einstein Condensate

A self-consistent model of the superfluid (SF) state of a Bose liquid with strong interaction between bosons and a weak single-particle Bose–Einstein condensate (BEC) is considered. The ratio of the BEC density n ₀ to the total particle density n of the Bose liquid is used as a small parameter of the model, n ₀/n?1, unlike in the Bogolyubov theory of a quasi-ideal Bose gas, in which the small parameter is the ratio of the number of supracondensate excitations to the number of particles in an intensive BEC, (n?n ₀)/n ₀?1. A closed system of nonlinear integral equations for the normal ~Σ₁₁(p, ω) and anomalous ~Σ₁₂(p, ω) self-energy parts is obtained with account for terms of first order in the BEC density. A renormalized perturbation theory is used, which is built on combined hydrodynamic (at p→0) and field (at p≠0) variables with analytic functions ~Σ _ij (p, ε) at pε0 and ε→0 and a nonzero SF order parameter ~Σ₁₂(0, 0)≠0, proportional to the density ρ _s of the SF component. Various pair interaction potentials U(r) with inflection points in the radial dependence and with an oscillating sign-changing momentum dependence of the Fourier component V(p) are considered. Collective many-body effects of renormalization (“screening”) of the initial interaction, which are described by the bosonic polarization operator Π(p, ω), lead to a suppression of the repulsion [V(p)<0] and an enhancement of the effective attraction [V(p)<0] in the respective domains of nonzero momentum transfer, due to the negative sign of the real part of Π(p, ω) on the “mass shell” ω=E(p). In the framework of the “soft spheres” model with the single fitting parameter—the value of the repulsion potential at r=0—the quasiparticle spectrum E(p) is calculated, which is in good accordance with the experimental spectrum E _exp(p) of elementary excitations in superfluid ⁴He. It is shown that the roton minimum in the quasiparticle spectrum is directly associated with the first negative minimum of the Fourier component of the renormalized (“screened”) potential of pair interaction between bosons.     

Transition to Quantum Turbulence and the Propagation of Vortex Loops at Finite Temperatures

We performed numerical simulation of the transition to quantum turbulence and the propagation of vortex loops at finite temperatures in order to understand the experiments using vibrating wires in superfluid ⁴He by Yano et al. We injected vortex rings to a finite volume in order to simulate emission of vortices from the wire. When the injected vortices are dilute, they should decay by mutual friction. When they are dense, however, vortex tangle are generated through vortex reconnections and emit large vortex loops. The large vortex loops can travel a long distance before disappearing, which is much different from the dilute case. The numerical results are consistent with the experimental results.     

Speed of Sound in Pure Water at Temperatures between 274 and 394 K and at Pressures up to 90 MPa

A newly designed experimental apparatus has been used to measure the speed of sound u in high-purity water on nine isotherms between 274 and 394 K and at pressures up to 90 MPa. The measurement technique is based on a traditional double-reflector pulse-echo method with a single piezoceramic transducer placed at unequal distances from two stainless steel reflectors. The transit times of an acoustic pulse are measured at a high sampling rate by a digital oscilloscope. The distances between the transducer and the reflectors were obtained at ambient temperature and pressure by direct measurements with a coordinate measuring machine. The speeds of sound are subject to an overall estimated uncertainty of 0.05 %. The acoustic data were combined with available values of density ρ and isobaric heat capacity c_p along one isobar at atmospheric pressure to calculate the same quantities over the whole temperature and pressure range by means of a numerical integration technique. These results were compared with those calculated from the IAPWS-95 formulation with corresponding relative deviations which are within 0.1%. Paper presented at the Fifteenth Symposium on Thermophysical Properties, June 22–27, 2003, Boulder, Colorado, U.S.A.     

Application of the Electrochemical Method for Measuring the Fluid Velocity in a Two‐Phase Bubble Flow

A technique for measuring the fluid velocity in a twophase flow using a combination of the electrochemical method and the conduction method is described. The point of this technique is numerical analysis of complete realizations of signals from the electrodiffusion velocity transducer. The dependence of the results of measurements of local hydrodynamic characteristics of the bubble flow on the level of gasphase cutting out has been investigated. The measurement data for the local gas content, the fluid velocity, and the velocity pulsations during bubble mixture motion in a tilted channel are presented.     

Burnett PVT Measurements of Hydrogen and the Development of a Virial Equation of State at Pressures up to 100 MPa

PVT properties were measured for hydrogen by the Burnett method in the temperature range from 353 K to 473 K and at pressures up to 100 MPa. In the present Burnett method, the pressure measurement was simplified by using an absolute pressure transducer instead of a differential pressure transducer, which is traditionally used. The experimental procedures become easier, but the absolute pressure transducer is set outside the constant temperature bath because of the difficulty of its use in the bath, and the data acquisition procedure is revised by taking into account the effects of the dead space in the absolute pressure transducer. The measurement uncertainties in temperature, pressure, and density are 20 mK, 28 kPa, and 0.07 % to 0.24 % (k = 2), respectively. Based on the present data and other experimental data at low temperatures, a virial equation of state (EOS) from 220 K to 473 K and up to 100 MPa was developed for hydrogen with uncertainties in density of 0.15 % (k = 2) at P ≤ 15 MPa, 0.20 % at 15 MPa < P ≤ 40 MPa, and 0.24 % at P > 40 MPa, and this EOS shows physically reasonable behavior of the second and third virial coefficients. Isochoric heat capacities were also calculated from the virial EOS and were compared with the latest EOS of hydrogen. The calculated isochoric heat capacities agree well with the latest EOS within 0.5 % above 300 K and up to 100 MPa, while at lower temperatures, as the pressure increases, the deviations become larger (up to 1.5 %).     

Degradative and mechanical properties of a novel resorbable plating system during a 3-year follow-up in vivo and in vitro

We tested the tissue reactions and mechanical strength of a novel biodegradable craniomaxillofacial plating system, Inion CPS™, in the course of degradation. Plates and screws composed of l-lactide, d-lactide and trimethylene carbonate were implanted to the mandible and dorsal subcutis of 12 sheep. The animals were sacrificed at 6–156 weeks. Histological evaluation was done using paraffin and methylmetacrylate techniques. Degradative and mechanical properties during the follow-up were measured both of in vivo and in vitro implants. In light microscopy, the in vivo implant material began to fragment at 52 weeks and could not be detected at 104 weeks. No significant foreign body reactions were seen in the mandibles. The dorsal subcutis disclosed mild reactions, which were, however, not of clinical significance. The implants in vitro maintained their entire mass for 26 weeks and lost 63–80% of the mass by week 104. The inherent viscosity of the implants in vitro and in vivo diminished uniformly. The screws retained their shear strength for 12–16 weeks. The plates maintained their tensile strength for at least 6 weeks. The maximum capacity of the plates in 3-point bending tests diminished gradually by 87% in 26 weeks. In conclusion, the plates and screws examined maintain adequate strength for the healing period of a bone fracture or osteotomy, producing no harmful foreign body reactions. Dr Nieminen is a consultant for Inion Ltd., while the other co-authors do not have any conflicts of interest. Inion Ltd. has financed the costs related to the study sheep, including their housing.     

Dispersion-Induced Splitting of the Collective Mode Spectrum in Axial and Planar Phases of Superfluid 3He

The whole collective mode spectrum in axial and planar phases of superfluid ³He with dispersion corrections is calculated for the first time. In axial A-phase the degeneracy of clapping modes depends on the direction of the collective mode momentum k with respect to the vector l (mutual orbital moment of Cooper pairs), namely: the mode degeneracy remains the same as in case of zero momentum k for k‖l only. For any other directions there is a threefold splitting of these modes, which reaches maximum for k ⊥ l. In planar 2D-phase, which exists in the magnetic field (at H>H _C ) we find that for clapping modes the degeneracy depends on the direction of the collective mode momentum k with respect to the external magnetic field H, namely: the mode degeneracy remains the same as in case of zero momentum k for k‖H only. For any other directions different from this one (for example, for k ⊥ H) there is twofold splitting of these modes. The obtained results imply that new interesting features can be observed in ultrasound experiments in axial and planar phases: the change of the number of peaks in ultrasound absorption into clapping mode. One peak, observed for these modes by Ling et al. (J. Low Temp. Phys. 78:187, 1990), will split into two peaks in a planar phase and into three peaks in an axial phase under the change of ultrasound direction with respect to the external magnetic field H in a planar phase and with respect to the vector l in an axial phase. In planar phase, some Goldstone modes in the magnetic field become massive (quasi-Goldstone) and have a similar twofold splitting under the change of ultrasound direction with respect to the external magnetic field H. The obtained results as well will be useful under interpretation of the ultrasound experiments in axial and planar phases of superfluid ³He.