The viscosity of liquid helium 3

Abstract

A vibrating wire viscometer cooled by a 3he dilution refrigerator has been used to measure the viscosity of liquid 3he over the temperature range 0.05 k to 3.0 k. Over the whole range the results fit the empirical formula zeta=2.21/t2+26.3/t1/3 mup. From 0.05 k to 0.10 k, (zeta t2)-1 decreases by 12.8 +or- 1.5% ; this result is discussed in the light of fermi liquid theory. Preliminary measurements of the viscosity of a saturated solution of 3he in liquid 4he from 0.05 k to 0.13 k are also reported and found to yield relaxation times in fair agreement with the theory of baym and ebner (1967).