UMI  
ProQuest® Dissertations & Theses
The world's most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses. Learn more...
ProQuest  
 
 
Superfluid helium-4: On sin phi Josephson weak links and dissipation of third sound
by Hoffman, Joan Audrey, PhD, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY, 2005, 0 pages; 3187053
 

Abstract: This dissertation reports on two different projects—the development of an experiment designed to study weak links in 4He with a sine-like current-phase relationship and a set of experiments exploring dissipation of third sound in thick films of superfluid 4He. Since Brian Josephson's proposals of phenomena in weakly-linked macroscopic quantum systems over 40 years ago, researchers have been searching for such effects in superfluid 4He. Until recently, it has been believed that technological barriers would prevent the observation of a sine-like current-phase relationship between two weakly linked volumes of superfluid 4He. In this dissertation we report on the fabrication of sub-15nm aperture arrays and preliminary measurements helium flow through the arrays below Tλ . These measurements show the linear temperature dependence of critical velocity expected in the phase slip regime. Efforts to study the cross-over to the sin &phis; regime are ongoing. We measured the frequency and line shapes of third sound resonances at temperatures between 0.3 and 2.1K in saturated films approximately 30nm thick, and, from these measurements, calculated the attenuation of the third sound waves. In the past, such measurements have been inconsistent, within as well as among reported work. More recent theory, however, suggests that these variations may point toward vortex-driven dissipation mechanisms. Metastable vortex populations are known to permeate superfluid 4He. Our measurements indicate that attenuation is a strong function of the history of the film, affected by temperature excursions and physical perturbations. We also observe frequency shifting of resonances attributable to trapped circulation and a large increase in dissipation with the introduction of 3He impurities to the film. Taken together with our observation of a dissipation mechanism linear in amplitude, our results provide support for recent proposals of dissipation due to vortex-excitation interactions.

 
Advisor: Davis, J. C. Seamus; Clarke, John
School: UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY
Source: DAI-B 66/08, p. 4283, Feb 2006
Source Type: PhD
Subjects: Condensation
Publication Number: 3187053
     
Adobe PDF Access the complete dissertation:
 

» Find an electronic copy at your library.
  Use the link below to access a full citation record of this graduate work:
  http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl%3furl_ver=Z39.88-2004%26res_dat=xri:pqdiss%26rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation%26rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:3187053
  If your library subscribes to the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database, you may be entitled to a free electronic version of this graduate work. If not, you will have the option to purchase one, and access a 24 page preview for free (if available).

 
 
 

About ProQuest Dissertations & Theses
With over 2.3 million records, the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) database is the most comprehensive collection of dissertations and theses in the world. It is the database of record for graduate research.

The database includes citations of graduate works ranging from the first U.S. dissertation, accepted in 1861, to those accepted as recently as last semester. Of the 2.3 million graduate works included in the database, ProQuest offers more than 1.9 million in full text formats. Of those, over 860,000 are available in PDF format. More than 60,000 dissertations and theses are added to the database each year.

If you have questions, please feel free to visit the ProQuest Web site - http://www.il.proquest.com - or call ProQuest Hotline Customer Support at 1-800-521-3042.



Copyright © 2007 ProQuest. All rights reserved. Terms and Conditions

ProQuest