Momentum transfer and heat flow in liquid helium II

Abstract

It has been found by one of the authors (1) in collaboration with Dr H. Jones that a flow of heat in liquid He ii is accompanied by what seems to be a transfer of momentum. The effect can be seen when the channel through which the heat and liquid flow consists of a smooth-walled glass capillary, such as shown in Fig. 1a. Due to the high thermal conductivity of He ii, a considerable part of the heat put into the reservoir is carried down through the capillary to the bath. When a steady heat flow exists, a flow of liquid takes place in the opposite direction, and the level of the liquid in the reservoir is seen to be higher than that in the bath. Smooth capillaries, however, produce a rise in level of only 1 or 2 cm. at most, since the viscosity of the liquid is small and hydrostatic pressure pulls the accumulated liquid in the reservoir back through the capillary. When the heat flow is large, violent surging is observed in the reservoir, but there is no further rise in level.