Experimental Observation of a Self-Heating Effect of Helium-4 Superflow

TL;DR

This paper reports a surprising self-heating phenomenon in helium-4 superflow, indicating it carries thermal energy and entropy, challenging traditional models and supported by a new microscopic quantum theory.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental observation of self-heating in helium-4 superflow, revealing new thermal properties not explained by the two-fluid model.

Findings

Helium-4 superflow exhibits a self-heating effect.

Superflow carries thermal energy and entropy.

The effect aligns with a new microscopic quantum theory.

Abstract

We report a counter-intuitive self-heating effect of helium-4 superflow. This fundamentally unusual heating effect bears a phenomenological resemblance to the Peltier effect of electric current across two different conductors. It reveals that helium-4 superflow carries thermal energy and entropy, which is in contrast to the two-fluid model of superfluid helium-4. A natural understanding of this heating effect is provided by a recently developed microscopic quantum theory of superfluid helium-4.