Detection of quantized circulation in superfluid helium by a vibrating wire

What changed

W. F. Vinen used a vibrating wire in helium II to investigate quantized circulation. His 1958 original report already described direct evidence for single circulation quanta; the 1961 paper described the apparatus and measurement in more detail. A later experimental account explains how circulation changes the wire’s coupled vibrational modes and discusses selected stable readings near zero and one circulation quantum.

Scientific scope

W. F. Vinen used a vibrating wire in helium II to investigate quantized circulation. His 1958 original report already described direct evidence for single circulation quanta; the 1961 paper described the apparatus and measurement in more detail. A later experimental account explains how circulation changes the wire’s coupled vibrational modes and discusses selected stable readings near zero and one circulation quantum. The original 1958 and 1961 reports concern the same experimental line, rather than two independent discoveries. The later account describes damping, finite zero-circulation mode splitting and intermediate values; its histogram covers readings classified as stable, not every measurement. Later lower-temperature traces and Kelvin-wave interpretations are separate work.

Evidence

The linked original works support the scoped statement and contribution attribution. WRS has not independently replayed experiments or reconstructed a full mathematical proof. The original 1958 and 1961 reports concern the same experimental line, rather than two independent discoveries. The later account describes damping, finite zero-circulation mode splitting and intermediate values; its histogram covers readings classified as stable, not every measurement. Later lower-temperature traces and Kelvin-wave interpretations are separate work.

Contributors

• The named authors in the research record · SCIENCE: These are the listed authors of the cited contribution sources. Paper authorship does not quantify individual effort. An incomplete list is explicitly marked; same names are not automatically merged.

• Sixty Years of Quantized Circulation
• The detection of single quanta of circulation in liquid helium II
• Detection of Single Quanta of Circulation in Rotating Helium II

Provisional WRS assessment, edition 2026-10-28.1. Independent expert calibration is pending. This grade does not certify correctness or assign ownership.

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