We report the first direct measurement of helium isotope ratio, 3He/4He, outside Local Interstellar Cloud, as part science verification observations with upgraded CRyogenic InfraRed Echelle Spectrograph (CRIRES). Our determination 3He/4He is based on metastable HeI* absorption along line-of-sight towards Tet02 Ori A in Orion Nebula. measure a value 3He/4He=(1.77+/-0.13)x10^{-4}, which just ~40 ...

Starting from a microscopic definition of an alignment vector proportional to the polarization, we discuss the hydrodynamics of polar liquid crystals with local C infinity v symmetry. The free energy for polar liquid crystals differs from that of nematic liquid crystals (D infinity h) in that it contains terms violating the n --> -n symmetry. First we show that these Z2-odd terms induce a gener...

We have studied the elasticity of solid 4He in relation with its possible supersolidity. For this we have measured acoustic resonance frequencies in a 1 cm3 cell filled either with polycrystals or with single crystals of 4He. We have observed a large stiffening at low temperature as first observed by Day and Beamish in polycrystals. The 3He impurity content has been varied from 300 ppb to 0.4 p...

We have developed an analytical system to measure atmospheric 3He/4He ratios precisely by using a static vacuum operation mass spectrometer and an ultrahigh-vacuum purification line. After purification of the sample, helium was introduced into the mass spectrometer. Ion beams of 3He and 4He were measured at the same time by a double collector system. A resolving power of about 700 at the 5% lev...

The heat capacity and magnetization of a fluid 3He monolayer adsorbed on graphite plated with a bilayer of HD have been measured in the temperature range 1-60 mK. Approaching the density at which the monolayer solidifies into a sqrt[7]xsqrt[7] commensurate solid, we observe an apparent divergence of the effective mass and magnetization corresponding to a T=0 Mott-Hubbard transition between a 2D...