We report measurements of the distribution of rotons generated by a particles interacting in a bath of superfluid helium. The roton flux is found to be anisotropic; it is about 4 times larger transverse to the track direction than along it. This asymmetry may provide a powerful tool in particle and astrophysics experiments where sensitivity to low energy recoil track direction is important.
We report the first experiments in which 5-MeV alpha particles are detected via evaporation from a bath of superfluid helium. The a excites phonons and rotons in the liquid helium, and these excitations are sufficiently energetic to evaporate helium atoms when they reach the free surface of the liquid. The approximate overall efficiency of this process has been determined, and we compare this with expectations. We have also been able to detect evaporation induced by a flux of r's from a 137 Cs source.
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