| Popis: |
Of all the unusual phenomena that ultralow temperatures elicit, perhaps the most spectacular are superfluidity--the frictionless flow of a fluid--and its electronic analogue, superconductivity. Superfluidity in liquid {sup 4}He, the common isotope of helium, has been known since 1938. In 1972 Douglas D. Osheroff, Robert C. Richardson and David M. Lee of Cornell University found that the rare isotope {sup 3}He could also become superfluid. Exploration of the properties of this new kind of matter has been a central project of ultralow-temperature physics for the past decade and a half. The behavior of superfluid {sup 3}He can be very intricate even though its structure is that of a simple liquid, composed of identical, chemically inactive, rare gas atoms. In addition to being worthy of study for its own sake, this combination of the simple and the complex makes superfluid {sup 3}He an ideal substance in which to study many other condensed-matter problems, ranging from the properties of neutron stars to those of high-temperature superconductors. |
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