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The lambda point is the
What is superfluidity?
{{states of matter Threshold temperatures Superfluidity
The lambda point is the temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer.
Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...
at which normal fluid helium
Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic ta ...
(helium I) makes the transition to superfluid helium II (approximately 2.17 K at 1 atmosphere
An atmosphere () is a layer of gas or layers of gases that envelop a planet, and is held in place by the gravity of the planetary body. A planet retains an atmosphere when the gravity is great and the temperature of the atmosphere is low. A ...
). The lowest pressure at which He-I and He-II can coexist is the vapor−He-I−He-II triple point
In thermodynamics, the triple point of a substance is the temperature and pressure at which the three phases (gas, liquid, and solid) of that substance coexist in thermodynamic equilibrium.. It is that temperature and pressure at which the ...
at and , which is the "saturated vapor pressure
Vapor pressure (or vapour pressure in English-speaking countries other than the US; see spelling differences) or equilibrium vapor pressure is defined as the pressure exerted by a vapor in thermodynamic equilibrium with its condensed pha ...
" at that temperature (pure helium gas in thermal equilibrium over the liquid surface, in a hermetic container). The highest pressure at which He-I and He-II can coexist is the bcc−He-I−He-II triple point with a helium solid at , .
The point's name derives from the graph (pictured) that results from plotting the specific heat capacity
In thermodynamics, the specific heat capacity (symbol ) of a substance is the heat capacity of a sample of the substance divided by the mass of the sample, also sometimes referred to as massic heat capacity. Informally, it is the amount of heat t ...
as a function of temperature
Temperature is a physical quantity that expresses quantitatively the perceptions of hotness and coldness. Temperature is measured with a thermometer.
Thermometers are calibrated in various temperature scales that historically have relied o ...
(for a given pressure in the above range, in the example shown, at 1 atmosphere), which resembles the Greek
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**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
letter lambda
Lambda (}, ''lám(b)da'') is the 11th letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the voiced alveolar lateral approximant . In the system of Greek numerals, lambda has a value of 30. Lambda is derived from the Phoenician Lamed . Lambda gave ri ...
. The specific heat capacity has a sharp peak as the temperature approaches the lambda point. The tip of the peak is so sharp that a critical exponent characterizing the divergence of the heat capacity can be measured precisely only in zero gravity, to provide a uniform density over a substantial volume of fluid. Hence the heat capacity was measured within 2 nK below the transition in an experiment included in a Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program n ...
payload in 1992.
Although the heat capacity has a peak, it does not tend towards infinity
Infinity is that which is boundless, endless, or larger than any natural number. It is often denoted by the infinity symbol .
Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the philosophical nature of infinity was the subject of many discussions am ...
(contrary to what the graph may suggest), but has finite limiting values when approaching the transition from above and below. The behavior of the heat capacity near the peak is described by the formula where is the reduced temperature, is the Lambda point temperature, are constants (different above and below the transition temperature), and is the critical exponent
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: . Since this exponent is negative for the superfluid transition, specific heat remains finite.
The quoted experimental value of is in a significant disagreement with the most precise theoretical determinations coming from high temperature expansion techniques, Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo (; ; french: Monte-Carlo , or colloquially ''Monte-Carl'' ; lij, Munte Carlu ; ) is officially an administrative area of the Principality of Monaco, specifically the ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is ...
methods and the conformal bootstrap.
See also
*Lambda point refrigerator A lambda point refrigerator is a device used to cool liquid helium, typically around a superconducting magnet or for low temperature measurements, from approximately 4.2 K to temperatures near the lambda point of helium (approximately 2.17 K), the ...
References
External links
What is superfluidity?
{{states of matter Threshold temperatures Superfluidity