The use of aluminum alloy 5056 for high-Q mechanical oscillators at low temperatures
- 1 October 1991
- journal article
- research article
- Published by AIP Publishing in Review of Scientific Instruments
- Vol. 62 (10) , 2461-2464
- https://doi.org/10.1063/1.1142264
Abstract
Measurements of the quality factor (Q) and period (P0) of two Al 5056 torsional oscillators are presented as a function of temperature from 0.02 to 1.2 K. The 5056 alloy is found to have Q’s of order 104 at room temperature and 107 below 4 K. In addition to having an extraordinary high Q, we also find that the temperature dependence of the reduced period, ΔP/P0, is extremely weak at low temperatures, making this material well suited for superfluid helium film studies. A technique for attaching thin dielectric substrates to the torsion member of one of the oscillators is also discussed.Keywords
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