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Local stress and superfluid properties of solid 4He
L Pollet1, M Boninsegni, A B Kuklov
1Theoretische Physik, ETH Zürich, CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
Physical Review Letters
|October 15, 2008
Summary
Certain defects in solid helium-4 (4He) can become superfluid under stress, enabling mass superflow. This finding challenges the notion that only ideal crystals exhibit such properties.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Quantum Fluids and Solids
Background:
- Ideal solid helium-4 (4He) crystals are not supersolid.
- Defects in crystalline structures can alter material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether defects in solid 4He can support mass superflow.
- To develop a tool for analyzing defect behavior in 4He.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing first-principles simulations to derive a semiquantitative tool.
- Analyzing the effect of moderate stress on vacancy creation in 4He.
Main Results:
- The gap for vacancy creation closes under moderate stress.
- Homogeneous systems become unstable at this stress threshold.
- Stressed cores of crystalline defects, such as dislocations and grain boundaries, can exhibit superfluidity.
Conclusions:
- Defects in solid 4He can become superfluid under specific stress conditions.
- This superfluidity in defects allows for mass superflow, a phenomenon not observed in ideal 4He crystals.
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