info:eu-repo/semantics/article
A quantitative experiment on the fountain effect in superfluid helium
Fecha
2017-08-17Registro en:
Amigó, María Lourdes; Herrera, Timoteo Daniel; Neñer, Lucas; Peralta Gavensky, Lucila; Turco, Federico; et al.; A quantitative experiment on the fountain effect in superfluid helium; IOP Publishing; European Journal of Physics; 38; 5; 17-8-2017; 1-11
0143-0807
CONICET Digital
CONICET
Autor
Amigó, María Lourdes
Herrera, Timoteo Daniel
Neñer, Lucas
Peralta Gavensky, Lucila
Turco, Federico
Luzuriaga, Javier
Resumen
Superfluid helium, a state of matter existing at low temperatures, shows many remarkable properties. One example is the so called fountain effect, where a heater can produce a jet of helium. This converts heat into mechanical motion; a machine with no moving parts, but working only below 2 K. Allen and Jones first demonstrated the effect in 1938, but their work was basically qualitative. We now present data of a quantitative version of the experiment. We have measured the heat supplied, the temperature and the height of the jet produced. We also develop equations, based on the two-fluid model of superfluid helium, that give a satisfactory fit to the data. The experiment has been performed by advanced undergraduate students in our home institution, and illustrates in a vivid way some of the striking properties of the superfluid state.