Thermophysical properties of a Si50Ge50 melt measured on board the International Space Station

Abstract

Thermophysical properties of highly doped Si50Ge50 melt were measured contactlessly in the electromagnetic levitation facility ISSEML on board the International Space Station. The sample could be melted, overheated by about 375 K, and cooled down in 350 mbar Argon atmosphere. A large undercooling of about 240 K was observed and a quasi-homogeneous nucleation on the droplet surface occurred. During the cooling phase, high-resolution videos were taken from the side and the top. The density and thermal expansion were evaluated with digital image processing; the viscosity and the surface tension were measured by means of the oscillating drop technique. Inductive measurements of the electrical resistivity were conducted by a dedicated electronics. All data were taken as a function of temperature T from the overheated melt down to the undercooled range. We found a nonlinear thermal expansion, suggesting a many body effect in the liquid beyond the regular pair interaction, an enhanced damping of surface oscillations likely related to an internal turbulent flow, and an increment of the electrical resistivity with decreased T in the undercooled range regarding a demixing of the components.