Sub-barrier cavitation regime in liquid helium

Abstract: In this paper, on the basis of the model Schr\"odinger equation, we consider the tunneling mechanism of cavitation in liquid helium and obtain threshold values of negative pressure as a function of temperature for 3He and 4He. The results of calculating the surface tension coefficients for flat and curved interfaces, obtained in the approximation of the Lenard-Jones interaction potential, are presented. It is shown that the temperature dependence of the critical pressure at which cavitation begins is stepwise in nature. The obtained critical pressure values are in satisfactory agreement with the experimental data.