Abstract: The critical temperatureT cof Nb/Al multilayers decreases as the total sample thicknessd Tis decreased while the thickness of each Nb and Al layer is kept constant. To understand this behavior, models based on the proximity effect and on weak two-dimensional (2D) localization are employed. The latter uses a characteristic length, the thermal diffusion length, in relation tod Tto obtain 2D behavior and leads to a reasonable explanation ofT c(d T). It is also found that the slope atT c(d T) of the critical magnetic field perpendicular to the layers is independent ofd Twhen the Nb and Al layer thicknesses are kept constant. The angular dependence of the critical field is also measured.

Abstract: Specific heat measurements are reported in detail for the Ce impurity in the superconducting matrix systems Th65Sc35Ce, Th80Y20Ce, and Th65Y35Ce. The variation of the specific heat jump DeltaC at the superconducting transition temperature T c is indicative of the magnetic nature of an impurity. For Th65Y35Ce a departure is found from the BCS law of corresponding states predicted for a nonmagnetic impurity. This departure is correlated with that observed for (La, Th)Ce systems and related to DeltaT c/n (initial slope of T c vs. n) and Ce effective size (implied by lattice parameter data).

Abstract: The translational oscillations of a sphere in liquid helium have been measured as a way of studying superfluid turbulence. Experiments were carried out in the laminar flow regime for reference purposes, and good agreement found between measured and calculated quantities. In the turbulent region, the dissipation is found to be proportional to the square of the velocity of the sphere, as found previously by other workers. For high vibration amplitudes there is an increase in the hydrodynamic mass. This seems to scale with the superfluid fraction in a way that strongly suggests that the superfluid component plays an important role in the turbulent regime.

Abstract: Visualization using tracer particles is a relatively new tool available for the study of superfluid turbulence and flow, which is applied here to oscillating objects submerged in the liquid. We report observations of a structure seen in videos taken from outside a cryostat filled with superfluid helium at 2 K, which is possibly a vortex loop attached to an oscillator. The feature, which has the shape of an incomplete arch, is visualized due to the presence of solid H2 tracer particles and is attached to a beam oscillating at 38 Hz in the liquid. It has been recorded in videos taken at 240 frames per second, fast enough to take ∼6 images per period. This makes it possible to follow the structure, and to see that it is not rigid. It moves with respect to the oscillator, and its displacement is in phase with the velocity of the moving beam. Analyzing the motion, we come to the conclusion that we may be observing a superfluid vortex attached to the beam and decorated by the hydrogen particles. An alternative model, considering a solid hydrogen filament, has also been analyzed, but the observed phase between the movement of the beam and the filamentary structure is better explained by the superfluid vortex hypothesis.

Abstract: The heavy fermion compounds CeCu2Si2, CeRh2Si2 and CePd2Si2 have been intensively investigated due to the non-conventional relation between superconductivity and magnetism. We have studied these compounds as constituents of a ternary system, where the Ce(RhxCu1-x)(2)Si-2, Ce(PdyRh1-y)(2)Si-2 and Ce(CuzPd1-z)(2)Si-2 alloys span the sides of a triangle with the respective stoichometric compounds at each vertex. In this article we discuss the evolution of the ground state throughout this ternary system, and we analyse (by means of the electrical resistivity) the influence of doping-induced disorder on the Kondo and magnetic ordering temperatures.