Published April 20, 1992 | Version v1
Journal article

Particle detection by evaporation from superfluid helium

  • 1. Department of Physics, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02912 (United States)

Description

We report the first experiments in which 5-MeV alpha particles are detected via evaporation from a bath of superfluid helium. The α excites phonons and rotons in the liquid helium, and these excitations are sufficiently energetic to evaporate helium atoms when they reach the free surface of the liquid. The approximate overall efficiency of this process has been determined, and we compare this with expectations. We have also been able to detect evaporation induced by a flux of γ's from a 137Cs source

Additional details

Publishing Information

Journal Title
Physical Review Letters
Journal Volume
68
Journal Issue
16
Series
Phys. Rev. Lett.
Journal Page Range
2429-2432
ISSN
0031-9007
CODEN
PRLTA