Advanced Undergraduate Laboratory

Department of Physics

University of Toronto

HEL: Helicons in Metals

Normally, electromagnetic waves cannot propagate through a conductor, but this experiment uses a particular form of circularly polarized EM-wave transmitted through high-purity indium to measure the Hall coefficient and resistivity in a novel way. These "helicon" waves were first discovered in the ionosphere, where they are known as "whistlers", but they also exist in metals. This experiment is both a study of electromagnetic waves and an investigation of the electrical properties of indium.

Write-Up in PDF Format or Microsoft Word Format.

(The experiment is currently located in MP226; last write-up revision: May 2012.)

Additional resources:

• Appendix I: Measured values of magnetic field within the superconducting magnet versus current through the magnet. (Thomas Szkopek, 1998)
• Appendix II: "A Helicon Solid-State Plasma Experiment for the Advanced Laboratory" by J.R. Merrill, D. Pierce and D. Giovanielli, 1970 American Journal of Physics Vol. 38 Pg. 417 - 5 pages.
• Appendix III: "Helicon Waves in Solids" by B.W. Maxfield, 1969 American Journal of Physics Vol. 37 Pg. 241 - 29 pages.

Chang-Yu Hsieh, 3^rd year Engineering Sciences undergraduate, works on “Helicons in Metals”, 26 November 2004.

Last updated on 30 August 2012