Finite-size Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition at grain boundaries in solid 4He and the role of 3He impurities

Year: 2008

Authors: Gaudio S., Cappelluti E., Rastelli G., Pietronero L.

Autors Affiliation: Univ Roma La Sapienza, Dipartimento Fis, I-00185 Rome, Italy; SMC Res Ctr, I-00185 Rome, Italy; INFM CNR, ISC, I-00185 Rome, Italy; Univ Grenoble 1, CNRS UMR 5493, Lab Phys & Modelisat Milieux Condenses, F-38042 Grenoble, France.

Abstract: We analyze the complex phenomenology of the nonclassical rotational inertia (NCRI) observed at low temperature in solid He-4 within the context of a two-dimensional Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in a premelted He-4 film at the grain boundaries. We show that both the temperature and He-3 doping dependence of the NCRI fraction (NCRIF) can be ascribed to finite size effects induced by the finite grain size. We give an estimate of the average size of the grains which we argue to be limited by the isotopic He-3 impurities and we provide a simple power-law relation between the NCRIF and the He-3 concentration.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

Volume: 101 (7)      Pages from: 75301-1  to: 75301-4

KeyWords: Superfluid Transition; Helium; Films; Dynamics
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.101.075301

Citations: 8
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