The first results of He II boiling visualization experiment conducted under 4.7 seconds microgravity conditions

Abstract

An experiment regarding boiling of superfluid helium (He II) has been carried out under conditions of microgravity, in order to investigate the dynamics of the phase transition. A small cryostat equipped with visualization setup has been utilized for this purpose. Presence of two orthogonal optical axes allowed for registering of 3-dimensional images of a vapor bubble induced by a micro heater. Microgravity environment has been produced for about 4.7 s using the 122 m high drop tower facility at ZARM (Center of Applied Space Technology and Microgravity), University of Bremen, Germany. The experimental campaign consisting of 32 drops has been successfully conducted, while avoiding any damage to the equipment.