Torsional oscillator studies of the superfluidity of 3He in aerogel

TL;DR

This study investigates superfluidity of 3He in aerogel using torsional oscillator and NMR techniques, confirming the superfluid transition and analyzing superfluid density with respect to aerogel density and scattering effects.

Contribution

It provides simultaneous torsional oscillator and NMR measurements of 3He in aerogel, demonstrating superfluid transition detection and analyzing superfluid density in different aerogel densities.

Findings

Superfluid transition observed by both techniques.

Superfluid density in 2% aerogel aligns with previous data.

Coupling to parasitic resonances affects measurements in 1% aerogel.

Abstract

We have made simultaneous torsional oscillator and transverse NMR measurements (at 165 kHz) on 3He contained within aerogels with nominal densities of 1% and 2% of solid glass. The superfluid transition is seen simultaneously by both techniques and occurs at a temperature which agrees semi-quantitatively with that expected for homogeneous isotropic pair-breaking scattering of 3He atoms by strands of silica. Values obtained for the superfluid density rho_s in the 2% sample are in reasonable agreement with those observed previously. Coupling of the torsional mode to a parasitic resonance prevented accurate determination of rho_s for the 1% aerogel. We have identified other resonances coupling to the torsional oscillations as sound modes within the helium/aerogel medium.