Guo, W., Cahn, S. B., Nikkel, J. A., Vinen, W. F. and McKinsey, D. N. (2010) Visualization Study of Counterflow in Superfluid ^{4}He using Metastable Helium Molecules. Physical Review Letters, 105 (4).
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Heat is transferred in superfluid 4He via a process known as thermal counterflow. It has been known for many years that above a critical heat current the superfluid component in this counterflow becomes turbulent. It has been suspected that the normal-fluid component may become turbulent as well, but experimental verification is difficult without a technique for visualizing the flow. Here we report a series of visualization studies on the normal-fluid component in a thermal counterflow performed by imaging the motion of seeded metastable helium molecules using a laser-induced-fluorescence technique. We present evidence that the flow of the normal fluid is indeed turbulent at relatively large velocities. Thermal counterflow in which both components are turbulent presents us with a theoretically challenging type of turbulent behavior that is new to physics.
This is a Submitted version This version's date is: 19/7/2010 This item is not peer reviewed
https://repository.royalholloway.ac.uk/items/28da0e92-cc3a-fec2-0ced-d4b5b1361a9f/6/
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