Interface motion and nucleation of solid helium-4 induced by acoustic waves.

Crystallization and melting of helium-4 was experimentally observed to be induced by acoustic radiation pressure where the liquid-solid interface is highly mobile at low temperatures. We discuss the observed anomalous reversal of this effect as a function of temperature and the nucleation by acoustic wave pulses of crystals in the liquid phase or liquid bubbles in the solid phase. A high-speed camera was used for the in situ observation of large interface velocities as high as 1 m/sec.