Interfacial energy of the superfluid 3He a-B phase interface in the zero-temperature limit.
We have measured the surface energy of the interface between the A and B phases of superfluid 3He in the low temperature limit at zero pressure. Using a shaped magnetic field, we control the passage of the phase boundary through a small aperture. We obtain the interphase surface energy from the over- or undermagnetization required to force the interface through the aperture in both directions, yielding values of the surface tension and the interfacial contact angle. This is the first measurement of the interfacial energy in high magnetic fields and in the zero-temperature limit.
Department of Physics, Lancaster University, Lancaster LA1 4YB, United Kingdom.
M
M
Bartkowiak
S N
SN
Fisher
A M
AM
Guénault
R P
RP
Haley
G R
GR
Pickett
P
P
Skyba