Probable observation of a supersolid helium phase

When liquid (4)He is cooled below 2.176 K, it undergoes a phase transition-Bose-Einstein condensation-and becomes a superfluid with zero viscosity. Once in such a state, it can flow without dissipation even through pores of atomic dimensions. Although it is intuitive to associate superflow only with the liquid phase, it has been proposed theoretically that superflow can also occur in the solid phase of (4)He. Owing to quantum mechanical fluctuations, delocalized vacancies and defects are expected to be present in crystalline solid (4)He, even in the limit of zero temperature. These zero-point vacancies can in principle allow the appearance of superfluidity in the solid. However, in spite of many attempts, such a 'supersolid' phase has yet to be observed in bulk solid (4)He. Here we report torsional oscillator measurements on solid helium confined in a porous medium, a configuration that is likely to be more heavily populated with vacancies than bulk helium. We find an abrupt drop in the rotational inertia of the confined solid below a certain critical temperature. The most likely interpretation of the inertia drop is entry into the supersolid phase. If confirmed, our results show that all three states of matter-gas, liquid and solid-can undergo Bose-Einstein condensation.     

Low-temperature shear modulus changes in solid 4He and connection to supersolidity

Superfluidity--liquid flow without friction--is familiar in helium. The first evidence for 'supersolidity', its analogue in quantum solids, came from torsional oscillator measurements involving 4He. At temperatures below 200 mK, the torsional oscillator frequencies increased, suggesting that some of the solid decoupled from the oscillator. This behaviour has been replicated by several groups, but solid 4He does not respond to pressure differences, and persistent currents and other signatures of superflow have not been seen. Both experiments and theory indicate that defects are involved; these should also affect the solid's mechanical behaviour. Here we report a measurement of the shear modulus of solid 4He at low frequencies and strains. We observe large increases below 200 mK, with the same dependence on measurement amplitude, 3He impurity concentration and annealing as the decoupling seen in the torsional oscillator experiments. We explain this unusual elastic behaviour in terms of a dislocation network that is pinned by 3He at the lowest temperatures but becomes mobile above 100 mK. The frequency changes in the torsional oscillator experiments appear to be related to the motion of these dislocations, perhaps by disrupting a possible supersolid state.     

三腿梯子上硬核玻色-哈伯德模型的量子蒙特卡罗研究

运用集团平均场和密度矩阵重整化群方法得到三腿梯子中玻色-哈伯德模型基于z方向密度交错排布的超固体相,比单层三角晶格多一种超固体.然而平均场超流序参量没有考虑超流的方向,这种超固体的本质有待于进一步探索.本文运用可靠的有向圈随机序列展开量子蒙特卡罗方法模拟了三腿梯子上硬核玻色-哈伯德模型,通过测量层内和层间的结构因子和超流刚硬度,发现系统具有密度ρ=1/2的固体,增加量子隧穿后,z方向不存在超固体.计算结果有助于冷原子实验寻找新的量子相.     

Observation of the ideal Josephson effect in superfluid 4He

Superfluids and superconductors are the only states of condensed matter that can be described by a single wavefunction, with a coherent quantum phase Phi. The mass flow in a superfluid can be described by classical hydrodynamics for small flow velocity, but above a critical velocity, quantized vortices are created and the classical picture breaks down. This can be observed for a superfluid flowing through a microscopic aperture when the mass flow is measured as a function of the phase difference across the aperture; the curve resembles a hysteretic sawtooth where each jump corresponds to the creation of a vortex. When the aperture is made small enough, the system can enter the so-called 'ideal' Josephson regime, where the superfluid mass flow becomes a continuous function of the phase difference. This regime has been detected in superfluid 3He, but was hitherto believed to be unobservable, owing to fluctuations, in 4He. Here we report the observation of the ideal Josephson effect in 4He. We study the flow of 4He through an array of micro-apertures and observe a transition to the ideal Josephson regime as the temperature is increased towards the superfluid transition temperature, Tlambda.     

液氦超流转变温度复现性研究

利用液氦超流转变时超流氦（He Ⅱ）与正常氦（He Ⅰ）热导率突变的性质复现液氦超流转变温度T_λ。采用带毛细管结构的小型密封瓶,通过控温将微小热流通过小型密封瓶毛细管,实现毛细管中He Ⅰ/He Ⅱ两相共存,并使He Ⅰ/He Ⅱ界面停留在毛细管中,从而获得稳定、平坦的液氦超流转变温坪。利用毛细管热流对液氦超流转变温度的下压效应,得到不同热流的多个温坪,进一步利用外推法求得零热流下真实的T_λ值。24次液氦超流转变温度复现实验结果表明,标准偏差为0.022mK,证明了液氦超流转变温度具有良好的稳定性和复现性,推荐将液氦超流转变温度作为国际温标的固定点使用。     

An intrinsic velocity-independent criterion for superfluid turbulence

Hydrodynamic flow in classical and quantum fluids can be either laminar or turbulent. Vorticity in turbulent flow is often modelled with vortex filaments. While this represents an idealization in classical fluids, vortices are topologically stable quantized objects in superfluids. Superfluid turbulence is therefore thought to be important for the understanding of turbulence more generally. The fermionic 3He superfluids are attractive systems to study because their characteristics vary widely over the experimentally accessible temperature regime. Here we report nuclear magnetic resonance measurements and numerical simulations indicating the existence of sharp transition to turbulence in the B phase of superfluid 3He. Above 0.60T(c) (where T(c) is the transition temperature for superfluidity) the hydrodynamics are regular, while below this temperature we see turbulent behaviour. The transition is insensitive to the fluid velocity, in striking contrast to current textbook knowledge of turbulence. Rather, it is controlled by an intrinsic parameter of the superfluid: the mutual friction between the normal and superfluid components of the flow, which causes damping of the vortex motion.     

Strong dipolar effects in a quantum ferrofluid

Symmetry-breaking interactions have a crucial role in many areas of physics, ranging from classical ferrofluids to superfluid (3)He and d-wave superconductivity. For superfluid quantum gases, a variety of new physical phenomena arising from the symmetry-breaking interaction between electric or magnetic dipoles are expected. Novel quantum phases in optical lattices, such as chequerboard or supersolid phases, are predicted for dipolar bosons. Dipolar interactions can also enrich considerably the physics of quantum gases with internal degrees of freedom. Arrays of dipolar particles could be used for efficient quantum information processing. Here we report the realization of a chromium Bose-Einstein condensate with strong dipolar interactions. By using a Feshbach resonance, we reduce the usual isotropic contact interaction, such that the anisotropic magnetic dipole-dipole interaction between 52Cr atoms becomes comparable in strength. This induces a change of the aspect ratio of the atom cloud; for strong dipolar interactions, the inversion of ellipticity during expansion (the usual 'smoking gun' evidence for a Bose-Einstein condensate) can be suppressed. These effects are accounted for by taking into account the dipolar interaction in the superfluid hydrodynamic equations governing the dynamics of the gas, in the same way as classical ferrofluids can be described by including dipolar terms in the classical hydrodynamic equations. Our results are a first step in the exploration of the unique properties of quantum ferrofluids.     

Oscillatory motion: quantum whistling in superfluid helium-4

Fundamental considerations predict that macroscopic quantum systems such as superfluids and the electrons in superconductors will undergo oscillatory motion when forced through a small constriction. Here we induce these oscillations in superfluid helium-4 (4He) by pushing it through an array of nanometre-sized apertures. The oscillations, which are detected as an audible whistling sound, obey the so-called Josephson frequency relation and occur coherently among all the apertures. The discovery of this property in 4He at the relatively high temperature of 2 K (2,000 times higher than the temperature at which a related but different phenomenon occurs in 3He) may pave the way for a new class of practical rotation sensors of unprecedented precision.     

超流动性的孤波模型

提出超流动性的孤波模型.用液体的准晶态的谐振子模型,导出描述液体分子运动的波动方程.在一定条件下导致非线性薛定锷方程并具有孤波解,孤波的运动产生超流动现象.用液体分子振动波的相干性条件,导出超流转变温度的公式.       

超滑研究进展与机理分析

从低温超流理论，宏观力学超滑理论，有序与分子刷理论等方面着手，介绍了超滑态方面研究的最新进展。分析了超滑的产生机理以及尚需进一步解决的问题。根据低温超流的本质以及流体与固体界面特性，探讨了实现超滑态的可能性。     

Performance of cryogenic regenerator with <Superscript>3</Superscript>He as working fluid

Almost all experimental and theoretical studies on regenerative cryocoolers at temperatures below 20 K mention the use of 4He as working fluid.A preliminary qualitative evaluation indicates that because of the superfluid phase transition,a working fluid of 3 He would overcome the cooling temperature limitation set by 4He.Starting with a comparison of the thermophysical properties of 3He and 4He,cryogenic regenerator simulations applied to the third/last stage of a pulse tube refrigerator,with 3He and 4He separately,were implemented to quantitatively analyze performance differences of the regenerator with respect to regenerator loss, cooling power and COP.Results conclude that 3He could significantly improve the performance of a regenerative cryocooler.     

Minority spin condensate in the spin-polarized superfluid 3He A1 phase

The magnetic properties of (3)He in its various phases originate from the interactions among the nuclear spins. The spin-polarized 'ferromagnetic' superfluid (3)He A(1) phase (which forms below 3 mK between two transition temperatures, T(c1) and T(c2), in an external magnetic field) serves as a material in which theories of fundamental magnetic processes and macroscopic quantum spin phenomena may be tested. Conventionally, the superfluid component of the A(1) phase is understood to contain only the majority spin condensate, having energetically favoured paired spins directed along the external field and no minority spin condensate having paired spins in the opposite direction. Because of difficulties in satisfying both the ultralow temperature and high magnetic field required to produce a substantial phase space, there exist few studies of spin dynamics phenomena that could be used to test the conventional view of the A(1) phase. Here we develop a mechanical spin density detector that operates in the required regime, enabling us to perform measurements of spin relaxation in the A(1) phase as a function of temperature, pressure and magnetic field. Our mechanical spin detector is based in principle on the magnetic fountain effect; spin-polarized superfluid motion can be induced both magnetically and mechanically, and we demonstrate the feasibility of increasing spin polarization by a mechanical spin filtering process. In the high temperature range of the A(1) phase near T(c1), the measured spin relaxation time is long, as expected. Unexpectedly, the spin relaxation rate increases rapidly as the temperature is decreased towards T(c2). Our measurements, together with Leggett-Takagi theory, demonstrate that a minute presence of minority spin pairs is responsible for this unexpected spin relaxation behaviour. Thus, the long-held conventional view that the A(1) phase contains only the majority spin condensate is inadequate.     

超流He系统的拓扑结构研究

本文利用有序介质缺陷的同伦论系统地研究超流He系统的拓扑结构.对于~4He和~3He的A,B相的拓扑结构,给出更严格、更简洁的讨论.尤其是,以代数拓扑理论为工具,本文预言超流~3He系统的四种新相:C,D,E和F相,给出其拓扑结构的示性数,以及C,D相出现的大致物理条件.     

Dynamic behavior of the He Ⅱ -He I phase transition under gravity

The phase transition of superfluid helium (He Ⅱ ) to normal fluid helium (He I ) is studied in this note. The He Ⅱ-He I interface is found to move upwards under finite heat current. The temperature tracks are measured by four high resolution temperature sensors (HRTs). And the shifting of the λ point temperature (phase transition temperature)along the cell is studied experimentally and theoretically.Under gravity, the shifting of the λ point temperature increases with the pressure. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical ones.``     

Phase-slip-induced dissipation in an atomic Bose-Hubbard system

Phase-slips control dissipation in many bosonic systems, determining the critical velocity of superfluid helium and the generation of resistance in thin superconducting wires. Technological interest has been largely motivated by applications involving nanoscale superconducting circuit elements, such as standards based on quantum phase-slip junctions. Although phase slips caused by thermal fluctuations at high temperatures are well understood, controversy remains over the role of phase slips in small-scale superconductors--in solids, problems such as uncontrolled noise sources and disorder complicate their study and application. Here we show that phase slips can lead to dissipation in a clean and well-characterized Bose-Hubbard system, by experimentally studying the transport of ultracold atoms trapped in an optical lattice. In contrast to previous work, we explore a low-velocity regime described by the three-dimensional Bose-Hubbard model that is unaffected by instabilities, and we measure the effect of temperature on the dissipation strength. The damping rate of atomic motion (the analogue of electrical resistance in a solid) in the confining parabolic potential is well fitted by a model that includes finite damping at zero temperature. The low-temperature behaviour is consistent with the theory of quantum tunnelling of phase slips, whereas at higher temperatures a crossover consistent with a transition to thermal activation of phase slips is evident. Motion-induced features reminiscent of vortices and vortex rings associated with phase slips are also observed in time-of-flight imaging. These results clarify the role of phase slips in superfluid systems. They may also be of relevance in understanding the source of metallic phases observed in thin films, or serve as a test bed for theories of bosonic dissipation based upon variants of the Bose-Hubbard model.     

Dynamic behavior of the He II-He I phase transition under gravity

The phase transition of superfluid helium (He II) to normal fluid helium (He I) is studied in this note. The He II -He I interface is found to move upwards under finite heat current. The temperature tracks are measured by four high resolution temperature sensors (HRTs). And the shifting of the λ　point temperature (phase transition temperature) along the cell is studied experimentally and theoretically. Under gravity, the shifting of the λ point temperature in creases with the pressure. The experimental results agree well with the theoretical ones.     

Evidence for superfluidity of ultracold fermions in an optical lattice

The study of superfluid fermion pairs in a periodic potential has important ramifications for understanding superconductivity in crystalline materials. By using cold atomic gases, various models of condensed matter can be studied in a highly controllable environment. Weakly repulsive fermions in an optical lattice could undergo d-wave pairing at low temperatures, a possible mechanism for high temperature superconductivity in the copper oxides. The lattice potential could also strongly increase the critical temperature for s-wave superfluidity. Recent experimental advances in bulk atomic gases include the observation of fermion-pair condensates and high-temperature superfluidity. Experiments with fermions and bosonic bound pairs in optical lattices have been reported but have not yet addressed superfluid behaviour. Here we report the observation of distinct interference peaks when a condensate of fermionic atom pairs is released from an optical lattice, implying long-range order (a property of a superfluid). Conceptually, this means that s-wave pairing and coherence of fermion pairs have now been established in a lattice potential, in which the transport of atoms occurs by quantum mechanical tunnelling and not by simple propagation. These observations were made for interactions on both sides of a Feshbach resonance. For larger lattice depths, the coherence was lost in a reversible manner, possibly as a result of a transition from superfluid to insulator. Such strongly interacting fermions in an optical lattice can be used to study a new class of hamiltonians with interband and atom-molecule couplings.     

Observation of a pairing pseudogap in a two-dimensional Fermi gas

Pairing of fermions is ubiquitous in nature, underlying many phenomena. Examples include superconductivity, superfluidity of (3)He, the anomalous rotation of neutron stars, and the crossover between Bose-Einstein condensation of dimers and the BCS (Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer) regime in strongly interacting Fermi gases. When confined to two dimensions, interacting many-body systems show even more subtle effects, many of which are not understood at a fundamental level. Most striking is the (as yet unexplained) phenomenon of high-temperature superconductivity in copper oxides, which is intimately related to the two-dimensional geometry of the crystal structure. In particular, it is not understood how the many-body pairing is established at high temperature, and whether it precedes superconductivity. Here we report the observation of a many-body pairing gap above the superfluid transition temperature in a harmonically trapped, two-dimensional atomic Fermi gas in the regime of strong coupling. Our measurements of the spectral function of the gas are performed using momentum-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, analogous to angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy in the solid state. Our observations mark a significant step in the emulation of layered two-dimensional strongly correlated superconductors using ultracold atomic gases.     

Simulation of jet-flow solid fraction during spray forming

A numerical model was developed to simulate the jet-flow solid fraction of W18Cr4V high-speed steel during spray forming. The whole model comprises two submodels:one is an individual droplet model, which describes the motion and thermal behaviors of individual droplets on the basis of Newton's laws of motion and the convection heat transfer mechanism; the other is a droplet distribution model, which is used to calculate the droplet size distribution. After being verified, the model was used to analyze the effects of parameters, including the initial gas velocity, deposition distance, superheat degree, and the ratio of gas-to-metal mass flow rates, on the jet-flow solid fraction. Finally, an equation to predict the jet-flow solid fraction directly and conveniently according to the parameters was presented. The values predicted by the equation show good agreement with those calculated by the numerical model.