Building confidence in state-of-the-art ab initio calculations of the density virial coefficients B and C of helium-4: Part 2. Direct evaluation by high accuracy experimental data using RIGT

Abstract

In our previous work [1], using indirect evaluation methods we concluded that the uncertainties of the second and the third density virial coefficient, B and C, of helium-4 at 5 K calculated by various authors had been overestimated. To check the reliability of these values and appraisal of uncertainties from ab initio calculations still further, a refractive-index gas thermometry method was developed to determine simultaneously thermodynamic temperatures and density virial coefficients. Using this technique, high accuracy experimental values of B and C of helium-4 and new values of T-T90 were obtained for the range 5 K to 25 K. A direct comparison with the ab initio calculation density virial coefficients was made. Results support the conclusion of our previous work, i.e., the ab initio calculation uncertainties u(B) [J. Chem. Phys. 136, 224303 (2012)] and u(C) [J. Chem. Phys. 134, 134106 (2011)] of helium-4 were overestimated by a factor of severalfold.