Microscopic Superfluidity in He4 Clusters Stirred by a Rotating Impurity Molecule

Angeline Wairegi, Antonio Gamboa, Andrew D. Burbanks, Ernestine A. Lee, and David Farrelly
Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 143401 – Published 11 April 2014
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Abstract

The effective moment of inertia of a CO impurity molecule in He4N and p(H2)N solvent clusters initially increases with N but then commences a nonclassical decrease at N=4 (He4) or N=6 (pH2). 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 He4 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 N-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.

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  • Received 25 November 2013

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.143401

© 2014 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Angeline Wairegi1, Antonio Gamboa2, Andrew D. Burbanks3, Ernestine A. Lee4, and David Farrelly1,*

  • 1Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Utah State University, Logan, Utah 84322-0300, USA
  • 2Institut de Sciences Moléculaires d’Orsay, CNRS UMR 8214, Université de Paris-Sud 11, Bâtiment 210, F91405, Orsay Cedex, France
  • 3Department of Mathematics, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, P01 3HF, United Kingdom
  • 4FivePrime Therapeutics, Two Corporate Drive, South San Francisco, California 94080, USA

  • *Corresponding author. david.farrelly@usu.edu

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Vol. 112, Iss. 14 — 11 April 2014

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