Spontaneous magnetization in ${He}^{3}$ ‐B

NOV 01, 1983

A Finnish‐Soviet collaboration has found that when they rotate the B phase of superfluid ${He}^{3},$ the vortices develop a ferromagnetic core. This magnetization appears suddenly at the same temperature at which the experimenters also observe a phase transition in the structure of the vortex core. The presentation of these results at the International Symposium on Quantum Fluids and Solids held at Sanibel Island last April has stimulated new theoretical studies of the vortex structure. (See the story on page 21 for other results concerning ${He}^{3}$ ‐B presented at the same meeting.) One of the more intriguing possibilities is that the mechanism for the spontaneous magnetization in rotating superfluid helium is similar to one previously proposed for rotating neutron stars.

This Content Appeared In

Volume 36, Number 11

Spontaneous magnetization in He3‐B

Spontaneous magnetization in ${He}^{3}$ ‐B