Homogeneous nucleation of crystals by acoustic waves

Laboratoire de Physique Statistique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, associé au CNRS et aux Universités Paris 6 and 7 - 24 rue Lhomond, 75231 Paris Cedex 05, France

Received: 7 March 2006
Accepted: 10 May 2006

Abstract

In order to study the homogeneous nucleation of crystals in a pressurized liquid, we focused a high-intensity acoustic wave in superfluid helium-4. We studied the scattering of light at the acoustic focus and found the first experimental evidence that, beyond a certain wave amplitude, positive pressure swings crystallize the liquid on their path. We discuss measurements of the nucleation time and of the pressure dependence of the scattered light intensity near the liquid-solid equilibrium pressure. Future developments of this work are related to the prediction of a metastability limit for liquid  at high pressure where superfluidity could vanish.