Cavitation Bubbles Generated by Vibrating Quartz Tuning Fork in Liquid 4He Close to the lambda-Transition

Abstract

Direct optical observation of cavitattion bubbles is reported in liquid helium both in classical viscous He I and in suoerfluid He II, close the lambda-transition. Heterogenous cavitation due to the fast-flowing liquid over the rough surface of prongs of a quartz forkoccurs in the form of a cluster of small bubbles rapidly changing its size and position.

Keywords

• Cavitation
• bubble dynamics
• quartz tuning fork
• liquid helium
• lambda transirtion
• vortex visualization
• fork oscillations