An apparatus for studying electrical breakdown in liquid helium at 0.4 K and testing electrode materials for the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source

T. M. Ito; J. C. Ramsey; W. Yao; D. H. Beck; V. Cianciolo; S. M. Clayton; C. Crawford; S. A. Currie; B. W. Filippone; W. C. Griffith; M. Makela; R. Schmid; G. M. Seidel; Z. Tang; D. Wagner; W. Wei; S. E. Williamson

doi:10.1063/1.4946896

An apparatus for studying electrical breakdown in liquid helium at 0.4 K and testing electrode materials for the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source

T. M. Ito, J. C. Ramsey, W. Yao, D. H. Beck, V. Cianciolo, S. M. Clayton, C. Crawford, S. A. Currie, B. W. Filippone, W. C. Griffith, M. Makela, R. Schmid, G. M. Seidel, Z. Tang, D. Wagner, W. Wei, S. E. Williamson

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14 Scopus citations

Abstract

We have constructed an apparatus to study DC electrical breakdown in liquid helium at temperatures as low as 0.4 K and at pressures between the saturated vapor pressure and ∼600 Torr. The apparatus can house a set of electrodes that are 12 cm in diameter with a gap of 1-2 cm between them, and a potential up to ±50 kV can be applied to each electrode. Initial results demonstrated that it is possible to apply fields exceeding 100 kV/cm in a 1 cm gap between two electropolished stainless steel electrodes 12 cm in diameter for a wide range of pressures at 0.4 K. We also measured the current between two electrodes. Our initial results, I < 1 pA at 45 kV, correspond to a lower bound on the effective volume resistivity of liquid helium of ρ_V > 5 × 10¹⁸ Ω cm. This lower bound is 5 times larger than the bound previously measured. We report the design, construction, and operational experience of the apparatus, as well as initial results.

Original language	English
Article number	045113
Journal	Review of Scientific Instruments
Volume	87
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4946896
State	Published - Apr 1 2016

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2016 Author(s).

Funding

Development of acrylic-substrate electrodes was supported by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development (LDRD) of Oak Ridge National Laboratory. We gratefully acknowledge the support of Physics and AOT Divisions as well as the former LANSCE Division of Los Alamos National Laboratory.

Funders	Funder number
National Science Foundation (NSF)	1506459
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Laboratory Directed Research and Development
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Science and Technology Facilities Council	ST/L006472/1

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Instrumentation

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10.1063/1.4946896

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Ito, T. M., Ramsey, J. C., Yao, W., Beck, D. H., Cianciolo, V., Clayton, S. M., Crawford, C., Currie, S. A., Filippone, B. W., Griffith, W. C., Makela, M., Schmid, R., Seidel, G. M., Tang, Z., Wagner, D., Wei, W., & Williamson, S. E. (2016). An apparatus for studying electrical breakdown in liquid helium at 0.4 K and testing electrode materials for the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source. Review of Scientific Instruments, 87(4), Article 045113. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4946896

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title = "An apparatus for studying electrical breakdown in liquid helium at 0.4 K and testing electrode materials for the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source",

abstract = "We have constructed an apparatus to study DC electrical breakdown in liquid helium at temperatures as low as 0.4 K and at pressures between the saturated vapor pressure and ∼600 Torr. The apparatus can house a set of electrodes that are 12 cm in diameter with a gap of 1-2 cm between them, and a potential up to ±50 kV can be applied to each electrode. Initial results demonstrated that it is possible to apply fields exceeding 100 kV/cm in a 1 cm gap between two electropolished stainless steel electrodes 12 cm in diameter for a wide range of pressures at 0.4 K. We also measured the current between two electrodes. Our initial results, I < 1 pA at 45 kV, correspond to a lower bound on the effective volume resistivity of liquid helium of ρV > 5 × 1018 Ω cm. This lower bound is 5 times larger than the bound previously measured. We report the design, construction, and operational experience of the apparatus, as well as initial results.",

author = "Ito, {T. M.} and Ramsey, {J. C.} and W. Yao and Beck, {D. H.} and V. Cianciolo and Clayton, {S. M.} and C. Crawford and Currie, {S. A.} and Filippone, {B. W.} and Griffith, {W. C.} and M. Makela and R. Schmid and Seidel, {G. M.} and Z. Tang and D. Wagner and W. Wei and Williamson, {S. E.}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2016 Author(s).",

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doi = "10.1063/1.4946896",

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Ito, TM, Ramsey, JC, Yao, W, Beck, DH, Cianciolo, V, Clayton, SM, Crawford, C, Currie, SA, Filippone, BW, Griffith, WC, Makela, M, Schmid, R, Seidel, GM, Tang, Z, Wagner, D, Wei, W & Williamson, SE 2016, 'An apparatus for studying electrical breakdown in liquid helium at 0.4 K and testing electrode materials for the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source', Review of Scientific Instruments, vol. 87, no. 4, 045113. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4946896

An apparatus for studying electrical breakdown in liquid helium at 0.4 K and testing electrode materials for the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source. / Ito, T. M.; Ramsey, J. C.; Yao, W. et al.
In: Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 87, No. 4, 045113, 01.04.2016.

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

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T1 - An apparatus for studying electrical breakdown in liquid helium at 0.4 K and testing electrode materials for the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source

AU - Ito, T. M.

AU - Ramsey, J. C.

AU - Yao, W.

AU - Beck, D. H.

AU - Cianciolo, V.

AU - Clayton, S. M.

AU - Crawford, C.

AU - Currie, S. A.

AU - Filippone, B. W.

AU - Griffith, W. C.

AU - Makela, M.

AU - Schmid, R.

AU - Seidel, G. M.

AU - Tang, Z.

AU - Wagner, D.

AU - Wei, W.

AU - Williamson, S. E.

PY - 2016/4/1

Y1 - 2016/4/1

N2 - We have constructed an apparatus to study DC electrical breakdown in liquid helium at temperatures as low as 0.4 K and at pressures between the saturated vapor pressure and ∼600 Torr. The apparatus can house a set of electrodes that are 12 cm in diameter with a gap of 1-2 cm between them, and a potential up to ±50 kV can be applied to each electrode. Initial results demonstrated that it is possible to apply fields exceeding 100 kV/cm in a 1 cm gap between two electropolished stainless steel electrodes 12 cm in diameter for a wide range of pressures at 0.4 K. We also measured the current between two electrodes. Our initial results, I < 1 pA at 45 kV, correspond to a lower bound on the effective volume resistivity of liquid helium of ρV > 5 × 1018 Ω cm. This lower bound is 5 times larger than the bound previously measured. We report the design, construction, and operational experience of the apparatus, as well as initial results.

AB - We have constructed an apparatus to study DC electrical breakdown in liquid helium at temperatures as low as 0.4 K and at pressures between the saturated vapor pressure and ∼600 Torr. The apparatus can house a set of electrodes that are 12 cm in diameter with a gap of 1-2 cm between them, and a potential up to ±50 kV can be applied to each electrode. Initial results demonstrated that it is possible to apply fields exceeding 100 kV/cm in a 1 cm gap between two electropolished stainless steel electrodes 12 cm in diameter for a wide range of pressures at 0.4 K. We also measured the current between two electrodes. Our initial results, I < 1 pA at 45 kV, correspond to a lower bound on the effective volume resistivity of liquid helium of ρV > 5 × 1018 Ω cm. This lower bound is 5 times larger than the bound previously measured. We report the design, construction, and operational experience of the apparatus, as well as initial results.

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An apparatus for studying electrical breakdown in liquid helium at 0.4 K and testing electrode materials for the neutron electric dipole moment experiment at the Spallation Neutron Source

Abstract

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