Breakdown phenomena in liquid helium

Scientific interest in the breakdown in liquid helium comes from its unique physical properties. Engineers also are interested because liquid helium is a fairly good basic insulation agent for superconducting devices. Results obtained by various laboratories are compared and discussed. Special emphasis is given to results from Central Europe, but other work has been considered also. Breakdown can be attributed to two different mechanisms, i.e. a high-stress and a low-stress mechanism. This is illustrated by several examples.<
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