Anomaly in the stability limit of liquid helium 3

Frederic Caupin (1) , Sebastien Balibar (1) , Humphrey J Maris (1)

1 LPS - Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'ENS

We propose that the liquid-gas spinodal line of helium 3 reaches a minimum at 0.4 K. This feature is supported by our cavitation measurements. We also show that it is consistent with extrapolations of sound velocity measurements. Speedy [J. Phys. Chem. 86, 3002 (1982)] previously proposed this peculiar behavior for the spinodal of water and related it to a change in sign of the expansion coefficient alpha, i. e. a line of density maxima. Helium 3 exhibits such a line at positive pressure. We consider its extrapolation to negative pressure. Our discussion raises fundamental questions about the sign of alpha in a Fermi liquid along its spinodal.

Domaines: Matière Molle [cond-mat.soft]; Mécanique statistique [cond-mat.stat-mech]

Frederic Caupin, Sebastien Balibar, Humphrey J Maris. Anomaly in the stability limit of liquid helium 3. Physical Review Letters, 2001, 87, pp.145302. ⟨hal-00133865⟩