Electrical effects in superfluid helium. I. Thermoelectric effect in Einstein's capacitor

TL;DR

This paper develops a theoretical explanation for electrical effects observed in superfluid helium, linking thermal, mechanical, and electrical fluctuations, and aligns well with recent experimental results.

Contribution

It introduces a consistent theory based on Einstein's ideas to explain electric potentials in superfluid helium under second sound waves and mechanical resonances.

Findings

The theory quantitatively matches experimental data.

Electrical potentials correlate with temperature differences in superfluid helium.

The approach unifies thermal, mechanical, and electrical fluctuation analysis.

Abstract

The Einstein's research ideas on the thermodynamical fluctuational nature of certain electrical phenomena [1] and the physical nature of the electric potentials difference U in an electric capacitor at the temperature of T [2] were proposed in 1906-1907. On the base of Einstein's research ideas, we explain the recent experimental results [3, 4] and propose the consistent theory on the physical nature of the electric effects in an electric capacitor at an action of the second sound standing wave in the superfluid Helium (4He) and in the rotational torsional mechanical resonator in Helium II. The use of the Einstein's research approach, based on the consideration of an interconnection between the thermal, mechanical and electrical fluctuations, allows us to obtain the quantitative theoretical research results, which are in a good agreement with the experimental data on the correlations of the alternate low temperatures difference in the second sound wave, and the alternate electric potentials difference between the capacitor plates in the superfluid Helium as well as in the rotational torsional mechanical resonator in Helium II.