A new technique of superconducting cavity diagnostics has been introduced by
D. Hartrill at Cornell University, Ithaca, USA. Oscillating Superleak
Transducers (OST) detect the heat transferred from a cavity's quench point via
"Second Sound" through the superfluid He bath, needed to cool the
superconducting cavity. The observed response of an OST is a complex, but
reproducible pattern of oscillations. A small helium evaporation cryostat was
built which allows the investigation of the response of an OST in greater
detail. The distance between a point-like electrical heater and the OST can be
varied. The OST can be mounted either parallel or perpendicular to the plate,
housing the heat source. If the artificial quench-point releases an amount of
energy compatible to a real quench spot on a cavity's surface, the OST signal
starts with a negative pulse, which is usually strong enough to allow automatic
detection. Furthermore, the reflection of the Second Sound on the wall is
observed. A reflection coefficient R = 0.39 +- 0.05 of the glass wall is
measured. This excludes a strong influence of multiple reflections in the
complex OST response. Fourier analyses show three main frequencies, found in
all OST spectra. They can be interpreted as modes of an oscillating circular
membrane.Comment: 10 pages, 16 figure
