Supersaturation and Nucleation in Superfluid 3He–4He Solutions under Elevated Pressures

Abstract

Nucleation and phase separation kinetics of superfluid 3 He– 4 He solutions at various pressures and concentrations were investigated. The measurements of the first sound velocity and the attenuation as well as the liquid dielectric constant determination were used. The study was performed at a constant temperature and pressure and the phase transition was initiated by continuous increasing the 3 He concentration. It is shown that the pressure dependence of the attainable supersaturations is non-monotonic when passing through a maximum at pressure of about 0.1 Bar. The comparison has discovered great differences between the results obtained and theoretical predictions.