title: Probing helium interfaces with light scattering: from fluid mechanics to statistical physics.
abstract: We have investigated the formation of helium droplets in two physical situations. In the first one, droplets are atomised from superfluid or normal liquid by a fast helium vapour flow. In the second, droplets of normal liquid are formed inside porous glasses during the process of helium condensation. The context, aims, and results of these experiments are reviewed, with focus on the specificity of light scattering by helium. In particular, we discuss how, for different reasons, the closeness to unity of the index of refraction of helium allows in both cases to minimise the problem of multiple scattering and obtain results which it would not be possible to get using other fluids.
authors.affiliation: Institut Néel, CNRS-UJF, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble-Cedex 9, France. pierre-etienne.wolf@grenoble.cnrs.fr
authors.forename: P E
authors.initials: PE
authors.lastname: Wolf
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonnet
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Guyon
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lambert
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Perraud
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Puech
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Rousset
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Thibault