Finite size Berezinski-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition at grain boundaries in solid $^4$He and role of $^3$He impurities

TL;DR

This paper investigates the low-temperature NCRI phenomena in solid $^4$He, attributing it to a finite-size Berezinski-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition at grain boundaries influenced by $^3$He impurities, with a power-law relation linking NCRIF and impurity concentration.

Contribution

It introduces a finite-size BKT transition model for NCRI in solid $^4$He and links grain size and $^3$He impurities to the observed phenomena.

Findings

NCRI fraction depends on grain size and $^3$He doping.

Finite grain size limits the BKT transition.

A power-law relation between NCRIF and $^3$He concentration.

Abstract

We analyze the complex phenomenology of the Non-Classical Rotational Inertia (NCRI) observed at low temperature in solid $^4$He within the context of a two dimensional Berezinski-Kosterlitz-Thouless transition in a premelted $^4$He film at the grain boundaries. We show that both the temperature and $^3$He doping dependence of the NCRI fraction (NCRIF) can be ascribed to finite size effects induced by the finite grain size. We give an estimate of the average size of the grains which we argue to be limited by the isotopic $^3$He impurities and we provide a simple power-law relation between the NCRIF and the $^3$He concentration.