Superconducting source and sensor of single bubbles to study nucleate boiling of liquid helium

Abstract

Joule heat generated by resistive elements of cryogenic micro- and nanodevices often originates boiling of the cooling cryogenic liquids (helium, nitrogen). The article proposes an experimental method to explore the dynamics of the formation and development of a single vapor bubble in cryogenic liquid by sensing the temperature change of a superconducting thin-film microbridge being in the resistive state with single phase-slip center or line. It serves both the source of heat for generating single bubbles and the surface temperature sensor due to its temperature-dependant excess current. The average bubble detachment rate and the average single bubble volume were experimentally determined for nucleate helium boiling. The obtained values are in good agreement with the data of other authors found in literature.