Simultaneous Measurements of an Ultrasound and a Torsional Oscillator for Pressurized 4He in a Nanoporous Glass

Recently, torsional oscillator (Yamamoto et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 93:075302, 2004) and ultrasound (Kobayashi et al. in AIP Conf. Proc. 128:797, 2007) measurements were carried out for pressurized ⁴He filled in a nanoporous glass (Gelsil), and the superfluid transition temperature T _C shows a different pressure dependence. Thus motivated, we have performed simultaneous measurements with a torsional oscillator and with ultrasound for pressurized ⁴He in Gelsil. T _C is in agreement between the two techniques at all pressures, and the superfluid component above 0.5 K shows most of the same temperature dependence. Furthermore, it was found that the χ-factor (the fraction of superfluid which remains locked to the substrate ) is independent of measuring frequency between the torsional oscillator (kHz-order) and the ultrasound (MHz-order) ranges.     

A Preliminary Heat Capacity Measurement of 3He in Aerogel near its Superfluid Transition

We report simultaneous heat capacity and torsional oscillator measurement of ³ He in aerogel near the superfluid transition. The heat capacity has a peak at the temperature T_c where the torsional oscillator shows the onset of superfluid decoupling. The coincidence of these signatures suggests that ³ He in aerogel does undergo a true thermodynamic transition.     

Comparison between Torsional Oscillator and Ultrasonic Measurements of 4He Confined in Nano-Porous Media

We have performed torsional oscillator and ultrasonic measurements for ⁴He confined in 2D nano-porous substrate, hectorite. For ⁴He films, the resonance frequency of the torsional oscillator increases rapidly just below a superfluid transition temperature (T _C ), and then becomes constant at the lower temperature. In contrast, the sound velocity below T _C increases monotonically with decreasing temperature. For liquid ⁴He the sound velocity has a small bend at T _b of about 0.9 K. Its increase below T _b is enhanced as the pressure is increased.     

4He in Nano-porous Media: Superfluidity and Quantum Phase Transition

This paper reviews recent findings of novel phenomena in ⁴He confined to a nano-porous glass. We examined pressure–temperature (P-T) phase diagram of ⁴He confined in a porous Gelsil glass that had nanopores 2.5 nm in diameter, by torsional oscillator and pressure studies. The obtained phase diagram is fairly unprecedented the superfluid transition temperature approaches zero at 3.4 MPa, and a novel nonsuperfluid phase exists between the superfluid and solid phase. These observations indicate that the confined ⁴He undergoes a superfluid-nonsuperfluid-solid quantum phase transition at zero temperature. We propose that the nonsuperfluid phase may be a localized Bose-condensed state in which global phase coherence is destroyed by a strong correlation between the ⁴He atoms or by a random potential. ⁴He in nanospace is an excellent model system for studying a strongly correlated Bose liquid and solid in a confinement potential.     

Heat Capacity of Liquid 4He Confined in a Nanoporous Glass

We report a preliminary study of heat capacities of ⁴He confined in a nanoporous Gelsil glass that has nanopores of 2.5 nm in diameter. The heat capacity has a broad peak at a temperature far above the superfluid transition temperature obtained by torsional oscillator technique. The heat-capacity peak is attributed to formation of localized Bose-Einstein Condensates in the nanopores, in which the long-range superfluid coherence is destroyed by pore size distribution or random potential inherent to the porous glass.      

Anomalous Response of 4He Confined in Nanoporous Media to Torsional Oscillation

The existence of “Non-Classical Rotational Inertia (NCRI)” in solid ⁴He below 0.2?K has been controversial and interpreted by a number of different theories. We report on torsional oscillator measurements for ⁴He in a nanoporous Gelsil glass, which has a network of nanopores with 3.5?nm in diameter. In addition to the usual “low-T NCRI” with an onset temperature 0.15?K, we find a larger decrease in rotational moment of inertia in a broad range of temperature from 0.2 to 1.9?K. This “high-T inertial anomaly” is accompanied with multiple dissipation peaks, but has no dependence on torsional oscillation velocity unlike the low-T NCRI. Since the high-T anomaly is observed also in confined liquid states, it originates in amorphous solid ⁴He layer near the pore wall. Our result shows that different types of supersolid—like phenomena, i.e. inertial anomalies, can coexist in a single ⁴He sample, even with genuine superfluidity of liquid ⁴He.     

3He in 99.5% Porous Aerogel at the Normal-Superfluid Transition

We have used a torsional oscillator to measure the superfluid density and dissipation near the superfluid transition of ³ He in aerogel of 99.5% porosity. We used a new cell (constructed at Penn State) for which the aerogel was grown in the pores of a 100 m silver sinter. The cell was tested with ⁴ He and showed no signs of the second-sound resonances that have interfered with previous torsional oscillator measurements. The measurements with ³ He, presented here, were taken at pressures of 1.34 and 4.13 bars. We observed values of _s / in the T 0 limit of 0.05 and 0.14 respectively. Our measurements show an increase in the dissipation on warming through T _c . This series of measurements is ongoing and temperature sweeps at various pressures are planned.     

Torsional Oscillator Experiments with High Stability and Reproducibility

We report experiments of the torsional oscillator to observe the superfluid transition in ⁴ He films in porous glass (the pore diameter is 1m). Stability and reproducibility of the oscillator, which quite often is problematic in previous experiments, is essential for a quantitative analysis of observations in different conditions. It follows that the friction of the superfluid films and the energy dissipation of the solid films are derived from comparisons of measurements for different film thickness.     

Superfluidity of 4He Confined in a Porous Glass and Control of the Pore Size

⁴He confined in nanoporous media is one of the most interesting nano-sized systems. The aim of the present work is control of the pore size of nanoporous media in order to clarify the superfluid size effects. For the pore size control, monolayer adsorption of Kr on the pore wall is performed. The change in the pore size distribution by the monolayer adsorption are characterized by N₂ isotherms at 77 K. Superfluidity in the pores is observed with a torsional oscillator method. The pore diameter of the as-purchased Gelsil is estimated at 5.8 nm. The monolayer adsorption reduces the size by 1.1 nm, caused by the thickness of the Kr monolayer. The decrease in the pore size lowers the superfluid transition temperature by 40 mK.     

Study of a Helium Film in 10 μm Porous Glass by Torsional Oscillator in Free Decay Mode

Dissipation and superfluid density of a thin helium film (superfluid transition at temperature T_c=0.88 K), placed in 10 m porous glass are studied as a function of oscillation amplitude or AC amplitude at fixed temperatures near superfluid transition. The measurements are performed using a high-Q torsional oscillator in the free decay mode as well as constant drive mode. Results show decreasing superfluid density with increasing velocity and non-monotonic behavior of the dissipation in the film.     

Superfluidity of 4He Adsorbed on Nanoporous Activated Carbon Fibers

⁴He confined in nanoporous media is one of the most interesting nano-sized systems in the context of an interacting Bose system. In the present work, we study superfluidity of ⁴He adsorbed in nanoporous activated carbon fibers (ACFs). Up to a ⁴He coverage of n=22.6 μmol m⁻², no superfluidity is observed. Over 23.7 μmol m⁻², superfluid transition is observed at T _c ∼550 mK. With an increase in n the superfluid density enhances, but T _c is independent of n. These observations indicate that the thickness of the superfluid ⁴He films on the pore wall is restricted by a slit type pore shape of ACFs.     

Observation of Superfluid 4He Adsorbed in One-Dimensional Mesopores

To study one-dimensional (1D) quantum liquid of ⁴ He, we measured the heat capacity and performed a torsional oscillator experiment for ⁴ He adsorbed on a new mesoporous substrate whose adsorption area consists of walls of straight one-dimensional 18Å diameter tunnels. The presence of adsorbed quantum liquid was examined by the isotope effect on the heat capacity for ³ He and ⁴ He adatoms. Above a coverage n _o , the heat capacity isotherms are completely different because of the Fermi and the Bose fluids, respectively. In the torsional oscillator experiment we observed superfluid ⁴ He above n _o . The fraction of the superfluid decoupled from the motion of the substrate is 0.13, which is the same order as 0.18 for packed Pt fine powder and 0.24 for 80 Å-porous glasses. The result indicates that the superfluid state exists in the one-dimensional ⁴ He adatoms formed in the 18 Å diameter pores.     

Path Integral Calculation of 4He in?Quasi-one-dimensional Channels

We consider ⁴He particles confined in a quasi-one-dimensional nanoscale channel in the range of liquid density, and numerically calculate the energy per particle by the imaginary time path integral Monte Carlo method. When the channel diameter becomes less than 1.6 nm, T _onset, at which the energy drops due to the particle exchange effect, shifts to lower temperature, and disappears below 0.48 nm. The diameter dependence of T _onset is similar to the behavior of the superfluid onset temperature, T _o, for mesoporous materials FSM16 observed by the torsional oscillator.     

Double Torsional Oscillator Measurements for 4He Confined in 1D Nano-porous Medium FSM16 with a 2.8-nm Channel

We have studied the frequency dependence of superfluid response for ⁴He confined in a one-dimension nano-porous medium, FSM16, with 2.8-nm channel. The measurements were performed for an identical sample at two frequencies of 2000 and 500 Hz, by means of a double torsional oscillator. It was made clear that the rapid growth of superfluid response for the low frequency mode occurs at several tens mK lower than those for the high frequency mode. The difference between the two frequency modes is enhanced by the application of pressure. The observed frequency dependence suggests a dynamical superfluid peculiar to one dimension.     

Hydrogen in an oscillating porous Vycor glass

We investigate hydrogen in porous Vycor glass with a torsional oscillator technique. Although our primary purpose is searching for a superfluid transition of hydrogen supercooled in Vycor, we find that hydrogen molecules which are adsorbed and liquefied in Vycor at T > T³ (triple point of bulk H₂) leave the Vycor when decreasing the temperature to below a characteristic value T_c < T₃. We discuss this phenomenon in terms of a free energy balance between solid/liquid hydrogen inside and outside the Vycor.     

Substrate Dependence of the Superfluid Onset of 4He Films

We have performed torsional oscillator measurements of ⁴ He films adsorbed on porous gold and gold preplated with Ar, Ne, D ₂ , HD, and H ₂ . On all substrates, the superfluid response is similar. The thickness of the nonsuperfluid layer as function of the substrate, however, increases monotonically with the well depth of the atom-substrate interaction potential.     

QCM Measurements of Superfluid Response in 4He Films up to 180 MHz

At finite frequencies, a dynamic Kosterlitz–Thouless (KT) theory predicts a frequency dependence of the superfluid transition in ⁴He films on planar surfaces. We report results of QCM measurements to study the superfluid response on planar gold surfaces for very high frequencies up to 180 MHz in the temperature range of 0.6–1.0 K. As the frequency is increased, we observed the expected KT behavior that the superfluid transition shifts to a higher temperature from the static transition temperature T _KT and the transition temperature region broadens. The frequency dependence of the dissipation peak temperature at the transition agrees with a simple equation of the frequency dependence based on the dynamic KT theory. The microscopic parameter for the dynamic transition, the ratio of the diffusion constant to the square of the vortex core radius D/r ₀ ², is estimated to be on the order of 10¹⁰ s⁻¹.     

Novel Oscillating Aerogel Experiments in Superfluid 3He at Ultralow Temperatures

We present novel experiments on a disk of 98% aerogel oscillating in superfluid ³ He at ultralow temperatures. The aerogel dik is attached to a goal post shaped vibrating wire resonator and immersed in liquid ³ He cooled by a Lancaster style nuclear cooling stage. At low pressures we see no evidence for superfluidity within the aerogel down to our base temperature of below <0.11T_c. At higher pressures we observe large temperature dependent frequency shifts, reminiscent of torsional oscillator experiments. We find the transition temperature at 5 bar to be around 600K. The response of the resonator is highly non linear when the helium in the aerogel is superfluid. The resonant frequency decreases strongly with increasing wire amplitude. This offers an exciting new technique for measuring the superfluid properties of ³ He in aerogel in the ultralow temperature regime.     

Thermal conductivity study of thin He films adsorbed in porous glasses with well controlled pore sizes

Thermal conductivity study of thin He films adsorbed in porous glasses with well controlled pore sizes^[2] is reported. The measurements are performed in a cell where a torsional oscillator monitors the superfluid density change, for the same films for comparison. Since the heat flux through the superfluid is proportional to the superfluid velocity, we discuss the possible observation of the intrinsic critical velocity v_sl = h/ml, inherent in superfluid He films in such porous systems with unit pore length l, as discussed by Minoguchi and Nagaoka^[3], which marks the velocity at which phase slippages start to occur over macroscopic scales.on leave from: Inst. Physics near Prahaon leave from: Lukin's Research Inst. Phys. Problems, Zelnograd, Moscow.