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Related Experiment Video

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Cryogenic Liquid Jets for High Repetition Rate Discovery Science

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Spreading of Normal Liquid Helium Drops.

David Mallin¹, Kenneth R Langley², Andres A Aguirre-Pablo²

¹Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of California Irvine, Irvine, California 92697, USA.

Physical Review. E

|November 20, 2020

Summary

Researchers studied liquid helium-4 drop dynamics on a solid surface. They observed pancake-shaped drops spreading and then shrinking due to evaporation, revealing key insights into fluid behavior.

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Area of Science:

Physics
Fluid Dynamics
Low-Temperature Physics

Background:

Understanding the behavior of superfluids like helium-4 is crucial for fundamental physics.
Investigating drop dynamics on solid surfaces provides insights into wetting phenomena and surface interactions.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the dynamics of spreading for drops of helium-4 on a solid surface.
To analyze the temperature-dependent behavior of these drops, from near the critical point to near the lambda point.

Main Methods:

Utilized video imaging techniques to capture the spreading dynamics.
Employed interferometric methods for precise measurements.
Conducted experiments across a temperature range of 5.2 K to 2.2 K.

Main Results:

Observed drops forming a pancake shape after an initial transient phase.
Determined the spreading radius follows R(t)≈t^α, with α=0.149±0.002.
Noted drops shrink due to evaporation, limiting their lifetime to approximately 1000 seconds.
Identified a visible contact line with a contact angle of about one degree, despite complete wetting.

Conclusions:

The study quantifies the spreading dynamics of helium-4 drops, providing a power-law relationship for radius growth.
Evaporation significantly influences the drop lifetime and ultimate behavior.
The presence of a distinct contact line, even in a complete wetting scenario, highlights complex surface phenomena.