Overview
- Tells the fascinating story of superfluid helium’s discovery and rise to ubiquity in science
- Explains in a non-technical way the quantum weirdness behind superfluid helium’s behavior
- Exposes the human and societal factors behind one of the key discoveries of the 21st century
Access this book
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Other ways to access
About this book
This book tells the story of He II. It describes the discovery of the fluid, the observation and understanding of its behavior, the development of underlying theory and the evolution of He II from a laboratory curiosity to an industrial-scale coolant. The current and possible future applications of He II are described.
Like all science and engineering, the story of He II is a human story and the role that personalities, politics, communication, cooperation and competition play in the development of He II is captured here as well. World-famous physicists such as Lev Landau, Richard Feynman, Peter Kapitza and Kurt Mendelssohn are key players in the story, while secret police from two different countries have a walk-on role.
This work is meant for the general reader. Without assuming any expertise in physics, engineering or mathematics, it illuminates for the general public a little-known area of science and engineering and shows why it matters. As it turns out, it’s also a good story.Keywords
Table of contents (16 chapters)
-
Front Matter
-
Back Matter
Reviews
“Weisend goes well beyond the physics, and provides a clear and concise description of how superfluid helium is used by engineers in scientific experiments. The book is illustrated using original technical drawings, which gives it a warm and historical feel.” (Hamish Johnston, physicsworld.com, February 14, 2024)
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Superfluid
Book Subtitle: How a Quantum Fluid Revolutionized Modern Science
Authors: J. G. Weisend II
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42652-0
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Physics and Astronomy, Physics and Astronomy (R0)
Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2023
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-031-42651-3Published: 28 September 2023
eBook ISBN: 978-3-031-42652-0Published: 27 September 2023
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XI, 150
Number of Illustrations: 30 b/w illustrations, 52 illustrations in colour
Topics: Thermodynamics, History of Science, History of Technology, Condensed Matter Physics, Quantum Physics, Engineering Thermodynamics, Heat and Mass Transfer