OBSERVATION OF ANOMALOUS HEAT-CAPACITY IN LIQUID-HE-3 NEAR THE SUPERFLUID TRANSITION

The specific heat of liquid He3 from 0.8 to 20 mK at zero pressure has been measured. Above ∼ 3 mK the specific heat is linear in temperature and CnRT=2.11 K-1, which is 30% less than the currently accepted value. Below 3 mK, C appears to deviate increasingly from this relationship reaching, at the superfluid transition Tc=1.04 mK, a value 9% in excess of the extrapolated linear specific heat. This Letter discusses the anomalous behavior and its consequences with regard to the interpretation of our data. © 1979 The American Physical Society.