Torsional Oscillator Study of Thin He Films Under High Speed Rotation

Abstract

Superfluidity is often compared with superconductivity and rotation is contrasted with magnetic field. In the case of superconductors, it is possible to destroy the superconducting state by application of a sufficiently high magnetic field. Agthough it is not yet technically feasible to destroy the superfluid state through rotation, significant modification of the superfluid can be achieved through rotation. In the experiments reported here we are studying the influence of rotation on the dissipation in superfluid films adsorbed in a porous medium. A new peak in the film dissipation is observed while under rotation at a temperature somewhat below the transition temperature. The dissipative feature we observe is related to the resugt for 2D films under rotation previously reported by Adams and Glaberson, however our observations for films in a porous medium under rotation differ considerably in detail. A theoretical discussion of these resugts has recently been given by Fukuda, et al. (to be published).