The results of a systematic study of helium thin-film adsorption are presented. Measurements are reported, obtained with a 24-MHz crystal adsorptometer, on the adsorbed mass per unit area as a function of the three independent variables temperature, concentration, and pressure of the gas of 3He-4He atoms generating the adsorbed film. The investigations span concentrations from zero to unity, all pressures up to the dew point for each mixture, and temperatures from 1.3 to 2.1 K. From the experimental results we display the detailed form of the van der Waals attractive potential holding the helium atoms to the surface. The expected dependence on the cube of the distance from the substrate is confirmed over the range of distances explored. The strength of the van der Waals potential is measured and reported. This attractive potential is demonstrated to be of the same form and of the same strength both for the 3He atoms and for the 4He atoms in the mixture at all concentrations. We further deduce, directly from our measurements, the detailed relationship between Σ, the mass per unit area of film absorbed, and d, the thickness of the film.
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German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) leave from the Free University of Berlin.
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Webster, G.D.L., Chester, M., Webster, E. et al. Adsorbed films of 3He-4He mixtures: A systematic experimental study. J Low Temp Phys 40, 207–222 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00115991
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00115991