Related Experiment Videos
Thermally driven josephson oscillations in superfluid 4He.
1Department of Physics, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720-7300, USA.
Physical Review Letters
|May 21, 2005
Summary
Temperature differences can create superfluid oscillations in helium-4 (4He). This study validates the Josephson frequency relation by measuring these oscillations near the superfluid transition temperature.
Area of Science:
- Low-temperature physics
- Quantum fluid dynamics
Background:
- Superfluidity in Helium-4 (4He) exhibits unique quantum phenomena.
- Understanding the behavior of superfluids under external stimuli is crucial for quantum technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the excitation of superfluid oscillations in 4He using a temperature differential.
- To experimentally validate the Josephson frequency relation under specific conditions.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing a heater to induce a time-dependent temperature differential across an array of 70 nm apertures.
- Simultaneously measuring oscillation frequency, temperature differential, and pressure differential.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated that a temperature differential can indeed drive superfluid oscillations in 4He.
- Confirmed the validity of the most general form of the Josephson frequency relation.
Conclusions:
- The Josephson frequency relation holds true for superfluid oscillations driven by thermal gradients.
- These findings provide insights into the fundamental physics of superfluids near their critical temperature.