Phase slippage experiments in superfluid 3He-A

Phase slippage experiments similar to those already performed in 4He first, and then in low pressure 3He-B, have been extended to the A and B phases at 28.4 bar. The observed staircase patterns show very analogous features in both phases. The state of the superfluid in the micro-orifice is thus likely to be independent of which phase prevails in the bulk liquid. Critical currents in the micro-orifice are large and in broad agreement with Kurkijaervi's calculations. A new low-level periodic pattern has also been discovered, which we attribute tentatively to textural effects