Microscopic picture of superfluid $^4$He

TL;DR

This paper reveals the microscopic quantum structure of superfluid helium-4, showing how energy levels group and influence superflow properties, leading to unique thermal behaviors and experimental evidence of self-heating effects.

Contribution

It introduces a novel microscopic energy level grouping mechanism in superfluid helium-4 and links it to macroscopic superflow phenomena and thermal effects.

Findings

Energy levels form exclusive groups below transition temperature

Superflow velocity inversely relates to thermal energy

Experimental evidence of superflow self-heating

Abstract

We elucidate the microscopic quantum mechanism of superfluid $^4$He by uncovering a novel characteristic of its many-body energy levels. At temperature below the transition point, the system's low-lying levels exhibit a fundamental grouping behavior, wherein each level belongs exclusively to a single group. In a superflow state, the system establishes thermal equilibrium with its surroundings on a group-specific basis. Specifically, the levels of a selected group, initially occupied, become thermally populated, while the remaining groups of levels stay vacant due to absence of transitions between groups. The macroscopic properties of the system, such as its superflow velocity and thermal energy density, are statistically determined by the thermal distribution of the occupied group. Additionally, we infer that the thermal energy of a superflow has an unusual relationship with flow velocity, such that the larger the flow velocity, the smaller the thermal energy. This relationship is responsible for a range of intriguing phenomena, including the mechano-caloric effect and the fountain effect, which highlight a fundamental coupling between the thermal motion and hydrodynamic motion of the system.Furthermore, we present experimental evidence of a counterintuitive self-heating effect in $^4$He superflows, confirming that a $^4$He superflow carries significant thermal energy related to its velocity.