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Role of Bose Statistics in Crystallization and Quantum Jamming

M. Boninsegni, L. Pollet, N. Prokof’ev, and B. Svistunov
Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 025302 – Published 9 July 2012
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Abstract

The indistinguishability of particles is a crucial factor destabilizing crystalline order in Bose systems. We describe this effect in terms of damped quasiparticle modes and in the dual language of Feynman paths, and illustrate it by first-principles simulations of dipolar bosons and bulk condensed He4. The first major implication is that, contrary to conventional wisdom, zero-point motion alone cannot prevent He4 crystallization at near zero pressure. Second, Bose statistics leads to quantum jamming at finite temperature, dramatically enhancing the metastability of superfluid glasses. Only studies of indistinguishable particles can reliably address these issues.

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  • Received 27 March 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.025302

© 2012 American Physical Society

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Published 9 July 2012

The explanation for why helium doesn’t solidify at low temperatures may be more complicated than previously thought.

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Authors & Affiliations

M. Boninsegni1,2, L. Pollet2, N. Prokof’ev2,3,4, and B. Svistunov3,4

  • 1Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2G7
  • 2Department of Physics and Arnold Sommerfeld Center for Theoretical Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, 80333 München, Germany
  • 3Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
  • 4Russian Research Center Kurchatov Institute, 123182 Moscow, Russia

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Issue

Vol. 109, Iss. 2 — 13 July 2012

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