Low temperature calorimetry and transmission electron microscopy of helium bubbles in Cu

Helium has been introduced into 100 μm thick pure Cu specimens by implantation of α-particles at T = 300 K. Post-implantation annealing of the specimens at high temperatures caused helium to precipitate into bubbles. We have measured the low-temperature heat capacity of helium confined in bubbles of average radius of less than 100 A. The size of the bubbles was obtained by transmission electron microscope investigations. We have observed that helium liquifies at low temperatures and undergoes the transition to the superfluid state in bubbles of average radius larger than 35 A. The confining geometry of bubbles is new and possesses unique features for investigations of confined helium. It provides the possibility to study properties of extremely small, spherical, completely isolated Bose ''particles'' consisting of 104 helium atoms each. Furthermore, as we show, it can be known with better accuracy than formerly investigated confining geometries. (orig./BHO)