Comment on “Heat-Flow Induced Anomalies in Superfluid 4He near Tλ”

In a recent Letter [1], Haussmann and Dohm (HD) presented a renormalization group treatment of the 4He lambda transition in a heat current Q. In this Comment, we use simple arguments that yield the same critical point exponent for the depressed Tl, and nearly the same critical velocity, but indicate that HD may not have calculated the proper specific heat anomaly

Criticality and superfluidity in liquid ^4He under nonequilibrium conditions

We review a striking array of recent experiments and their theoretical interpretations on the superfluid transition in ^4He in the presence of a heat flux Q. We define and evaluate a new set of critical point exponents. The statics and dynamics of the superfluid-normal interface are discussed, with special attention to the role of gravity. If Q is in the same direction as gravity, a self-organized state can arise, in which the entire sample has a uniform reduced temperature, on either the normal or superfluid side of the transition. Finally, we review recent theory and experiment regarding the heat capacity at constant Q. The excitement that surrounds this field arises from the fact that advanced thermometry and the future availability of a microgravity experimental platform aboard the International Space Station will soon open to experimental exploration decades of reduced temperature that were previously inaccessible

Enhanced heat capacity and a new temperature instability in superfluid He-4 in the presence of a constant heat flux near T-lambda

We present the first experimental evidence that the heat capacity of superfluid 4He, at temperatures very close to the lambda point Tλ, is enhanced by a constant heat flux Q. The heat capacity at constant Q, CQ, is predicted to diverge at a temperature Tc(Q)<Tλ at which superflow becomes unstable. In agreement with previous measurements, we find that dissipation enters our cell at a temperature, TDAS(Q), below the theoretical value, Tc(Q). We argue that TDAS(Q) can be accounted for by a temperature instability at the cell wall, and is therefore distinct from Tc(Q). The excess heat capacity we measure has the predicted scaling behavior as a function of T and Q, but it is much larger than predicted by current theory

Comment on “Heat-Flow Induced Anomalies in Superfluid 4He near Tλ”

In a recent Letter [1], Haussmann and Dohm (HD) presented a renormalization group treatment of the 4He lambda transition in a heat current Q. In this Comment, we use simple arguments that yield the same critical point exponent for the depressed Tl, and nearly the same critical velocity, but indicate that HD may not have calculated the proper specific heat anomaly

Widespread decline in Central European plant diversity across six decades

Abstract Based on plant occurrence data covering all parts of Germany, we investigated changes in the distribution of 2136 plant species between 1960 and 2017. We analyzed 29 million occurrence records over an area of ~350,000 km 2 on a 5 × 5 km grid using temporal and spatiotemporal models and accounting for sampling bias. Since the 1960s, more than 70% of investigated plant species showed declines in nationwide occurrence. Archaeophytes (species introduced before 1492) most strongly declined but also native plant species experienced severe declines. In contrast, neophytes (species introduced after 1492) increased in their nationwide occurrence but not homogeneously throughout the country. Our analysis suggests that the strongest declines in native species already happened in the 1960s–1980s, a time frame in which often few data exist. Increases in neophytic species were strongest in the 1990s and 2010s. Overall, the increase in neophytes did not compensate for the loss of other species, resulting in a decrease in mean grid cell species richness of −1.9% per decade. The decline in plant biodiversity is a widespread phenomenon occurring in different habitats and geographic regions. It is likely that this decline has major repercussions on ecosystem functioning and overall biodiversity, potentially with cascading effects across trophic levels. The approach used in this study is transferable to other large‐scale trend analyses using heterogeneous occurrence data