Critical and Hydrodynamic Effects in Confined Helium

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Most Materials to which one is accustomed are infinite in size and three-dimensional in character. By this it is meant that their special dimensions extend over distances, in all directions, which are much larger than relevant length scales. An example of this length scale is the interatomic distance. In many circumstances, however, such as at the point where a system undergoes a phase transformation, or at low temperatures, other, much larger length scales become important. Thus a system, which for most purposes might look quite large becomes, under these circumstances, finite and shows dramatic change in behavior. Quantifying this change in behavior is very important, since it goes to the heart of their understanding of the role of dimensionality both in terms of its technological as well as its scientific implications. Helium, because of a number of favorable circumstances, such as its superfluid properties, is an ideal system to study effects of confinement and the role of dimensionality. This project consists of a number of separate experiments, which, when completed, will make a significant contribution to this understanding.