Visualization study of the normal-fluid motion in superfluid helium-4

Flow visualization in superfluid $^{\mathrm{4}}$He is challenging, yet crucial for attaining a detailed understandingof quantum turbulence. Two problems have impeded progress: finding and introducing suitable tracersthat are small yet visible; and unambiguous interpretation of the tracer motion. Metastable He$_{\mathrm{2}}$ triplet molecules form angstrom-sized bubbles in helium and can be imaged using a laser-induced-fluorescence technique. At temperatures above 1 K, helium molecules solely follow the motion of the normal-fluid component without being affected by quantized vortices. In our recent experiments on thermal counterflow, by tracing a thin molecular line created via femtosecond-laser field-ionization technique, we are able to measure the instantaneous normal-fluid velocity field. We show that the obtained velocity probability density function (PDF) obeys a Gaussian distribution. We also discuss the calculated structure function of the novel normal-fluid turbulence in thermal counterflow.