Abstract
The effective moment of inertia of a CO impurity molecule in and solvent clusters initially increases with but then commences a nonclassical decrease at () or (). This suggests molecule-solvent decoupling and a transition to microscopic superfluidity. However, the quantum decoupling mechanism has not been elucidated. To understand the decoupling mechanism, a one-dimensional model is introduced in which the atoms are confined to a ring. This model captures the physics and shows that decoupling happens primarily because of bosonic solvent-solvent repulsion. Quantum Monte Carlo and basis set calculations suggest that the system can be modeled as a stirred Tonks-Girardeau gas. This allows the -particle time-dependent Schrödinger equation to be solved directly. Computations of the integrated particle current reveal a threshold for stirring and current generation, indicative of superfluidity.
- Received 25 November 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.143401
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