Control of the interface between (He-3)-rich and (He-4)-rich phases using electric fields

A microgravity dilution refrigerator is considered, and it is shown that electric-field generated forces can be used to control the interface line between (He-3)-rich and (He-3)-poor phases. Fields as high as 13 MV/m are obtained in the present v-shaped geometry which correspond to positioning forces comparable to gravity. Good agreement is found between experimental results on the movements of the interface line and calculations obtained with a two-fluid model.