Abstract
This review provides an overview of the progress in using the
low-gravity environment of space to explore critical phenomena and test
modern theoretical predictions. Gravity-induced variations in the
hydrostatic pressure and the resulting density gradients adversely
affect ground-based measurements near fluid critical points. Performing
measurements in a low-gravity environment can significantly reduce these
difficulties. A number of significant experiments have been performed in
low-Earth orbit. Experiments near the lambda transition in liquid helium
explored the regime of large correlation lengths and tested the
theoretical predictions to a level of precision that could not be
obtained on Earth. Other studies have validated theoretical predictions
for the divergence in the viscosity as well as the unexpected critical
speeding up of the thermal equilibrium process in pure fluids near the
liquid-gas critical point. We describe the scientific content of
previously flown low-gravity inv
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1-52 |
Journal | Reviews of Modern Physics |
State | Published - Jan 2007 |