A vacuum cell for obtaining clean surfaces on liquid low melting point metals

Abstract Clean oxide film-free surface of liquid gallium was obtained in a sealed vacuum cell with a glass lid for observation. The cell was evacuated to high vacuum (10 -4 Pa) before admission of liquid and sealing. The surface contamination was about 2–5% of the free area and did not exhibit noticeable increase during several months of storing and employing the cell. The cell described allows observation of surface flows, capillary phenomena and crystallization processes under different conditions.