Expansion of Solid Helium into Vacuum: the Geyser Effect
Materials Science
2007-05-23 v1
Abstract
The particle flux through a two micron diameter orifice into vacuum from a source chamber filled with solid He exhibits a striking periodic behavior similar to that of a geyser. This phenomenon is attributed to a periodic collapse of the solid inside the source induced by the accumulation of excess vacancies injected at the orifice. The flux-time curves agree well with a kinetic model and provide direct information on the diffusivity of vacancies in solid He.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0403642,
title = {Expansion of Solid Helium into Vacuum: the Geyser Effect},
author = {R. E. Grisenti and M. Kaesz and J. P. Toennies and G. Benedek and F. Dalfovo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0403642},
year = {2007}
}