Transient heat transfer to superfluid liquid helium

Abstract

Transient heat transfer from thin superconducting and normal wires to saturated HeII and to pressurized HeII was investigated. Rectangular current pulses of 0.5 milliseconds duration and longer were applied to the sample while voltage and current were detected with a resolution in the microsecond range. For the determination of the sample temperature the temperature characteristic of the wire resistivity was used in the case of normal conductors and the temperature characteristic of the critical current in the case of superconductors. Data are reported for bath temperatures of 2 K and, in the case of the superconducting samples, transverse magnetic fields of 1.5 T.