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Adiabatic oscillations in liquid helium

University of British Columbia

This thesis describes experiments designed to test the prediction made by J. E. Robinson that adiabatic oscillations could be produced in liquid helium II. Oscillations have been observed in an experimental arrangement consisting of an adiabatic container placed in a helium II bath and connected with the bath by means of a "superleak". A "thermal pulse" introduced into the container caused the liquid level to oscillate. Containers of different geometries and employing two different types of superleak, were successfully used to observe oscillations. With one of these the temperature dependence of the frequency was measured between 1.38° and 2.065°K and found to be of the expected form and magnitude. The damping of the oscillations, the rate of fluid flow and the thermal relaxation of the container have also been investigated. Both quantitatively and in their general behaviour, the observed oscillations confirm the predictions of Robinson. An analogy is suggested between the oscillations in an adiabatic container in liquid helium II and those of a gas in a Helmholtz resonator.

Text

2012-01-31

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/40395

Physics

University of British Columbia

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