Response of a mechanical oscillator in solid 4He

Abstract

We present the first measurements of the response of a mechanical oscillator in solid 4He. We use a lithium niobate tuning fork operating in its fundamental resonance mode at a frequency of around 30 kHz. Measurements in solid 4He were performed close to the melting pressure. The tuning fork resonance shows substantial frequency shifts on cooling from around 1.5 K to below 10 mK. The response shows an abrupt change at the bcc-hcp transition. At low temperatures, below around 100 mK, the resonance splits into several overlapping resonances. © 2013 The Author(s).