Andronikashvili experiment 2026-10-20
Closely spaced disks undergo torsional oscillations in He-II. Viscous entrainment of the normal component contributes a temperature-dependent moment of inertia, while vortex-free superfluid need not rotate with the disks. The interpretation requires the normal component to follow the drive under the apparatus's spacing and frequency conditions. The experiment is associated with Elephter Andronikashvili.
Elephter Andronikashvili Created 2026-10-20 Updated 2026-11-05
Elephter Andronikashvili tested the two-fluid model of superfluidity by oscillating a stack of closely spaced disks in liquid helium-4. Viscous coupling makes the normal component follow the disks, adding to their effective moment of inertia; the superfluid component need not rotate with them. Measuring the oscillation period as temperature changes therefore estimates the normal-fluid fraction under the apparatus's entrainment conditions. The experiment turns an apparently unusual flow law into a mechanical measurement of two distinct contributions to one liquid.[ref]
A direct observation of the two kinds of motion in helium II by Elephter Andronikashvili. Journal of Physics 10, 201 (1946), two-component-motion experiment
Portrait of Elephter Andronikashvili
. Devi Garibashvili (დევი ღარიბაშვილი), attribution on Commons. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Source.