Quantum nucleation of gas bubbles in liquid helium

TL;DR

This paper investigates the quantum nucleation of gas bubbles in liquid helium at low temperatures, analyzing growth dynamics, cavitation rates, and the effects of different dissipation processes in helium isotopes.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of quantum cavitation rates and crossover temperatures in liquid helium, highlighting differences between normal and superfluid helium.

Findings

Quantum cavitation rate varies with temperature in helium.

Crossover temperature between classical and quantum mechanisms identified.

Dissipation processes differ between $^3$He and $^4$He, affecting cavitation behavior.

Abstract

Liquid helium under negative pressures represents a unique possibility for studying nucleation and growth dynamics of cavities at low temperatures down to absolute zero. We analyze the growth dynamics of cavities and determine the temperature behavior of quantum cavitation rate and the crossover temperature between the classical and quantum cavitation mechanisms. The energy dissipation processes, which differ in kind in normal fluid $^3$He and superfluid $^4$He, result in the different temperature behavior of cavitation rate in $^3$He and $^4$He below the thermal-quantum crossover temperature.