Key Questions We Want to Answer:
Scientists
have learned the importance of changing various aspects
of an experiment, that do not appear to be relevant, to
make sure they have not overlooked something that might
have an affect on the outcome. In the case of the Superfluid
Universality Experiment (SUE), pressure will be changed
to see if previously obtained results are altered.
What We Already Know:
Scientists have extensively studied the phase transitions
that occur when helium is supercooled into a liquid, then
furthered cooled into a superfluid. With the SUE mission,
they will gather additional information about those transitions
in a microgravity environment under a range of different
pressures.
What We Hope to Find Out:
Because
a fundamental aspect of all phase transition theories is
universality, changing seemingly non-key parameters in an
experiment should not change the results. SUE will be the
most stringent test of this principal of universality, which
forms the basis of our understanding of a wide assortment
of phenomena in nature, ranging from the formation of subatomic
particles to variations in the cosmic-ray background.
How We'll Conduct Our Experiment:
SUE
is the size of a coffee cup. The outer container is made
of Niobium, because the sensors used for measurement are
sensitive to magnetic fields. Niobium provides a good shield
against these fields.
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