SPIN POLARIZED HELIUM-3, A PLAYGROUND IN MANY DOMAINS OF PHYSICS

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Abstract
This article gives a survey of the different methods urhich can be used to polarize the nuclear spin of helium-3. These techniques are particularly discussed in relation to the production of polarized helium-3 targets for nuclear physics experiments, such as electron or proton scattering and neutron spin filters. Some emphasis is given to the development of new powerful solid state lasers now used for helium optical pumping. Applications to atomic physics and quantum statistics are also mentioned. A recent experiment is finally described which shows that the heat conductivity of the helium-3 gas at low temperature depends on the nuclear spin polarization. This is a consequence of the quantum indistinguishability of the particles which plays a large role in binary collisions, thus influencing the transport properties of the gas

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