ASA 127th Meeting M.I.T. 1994 June 6-10

1pPA1. High Q, low-temperature oscillators: Some examples.

Jeevak M. Parpia

Dept. of Phys. & Lab. of Atomic & Solid State Phys., Cornell Univ., Ithaca, NY 14853-2501

High Q audio frequency mechanical oscillators have been used in a number of experimental investigations of superfluidity [V. Kotsubo et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 58, 804--807 (1987)] as well as flux lattice melting in superconductors at low temperatures [P. L. Gammel et al., Phys. Rev. B 40, 7354--7356 (1989)]. The design, construction, and use of mechanical devices fabricated from metal and silicon will be presented. In particular, single-crystal silicon oscillators [R. E. Mihailovich et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 68, 3052--3055 (1992)] offer the potential for the observation of very low dissipation phenomena, with energy sensitivities approaching 10[sup -24] J/cycle. [Work supported by the NSF through Grant No. DMR-9123857.]