Search for supersolid 4He in neutron scattering experiments at ISIS

TL;DR

This study uses neutron scattering to investigate the microscopic properties of solid 4He across a range of temperatures, providing data that challenge the idea that NCRI is caused by Bose-Einstein Condensation.

Contribution

First neutron scattering measurements of kinetic energy, momentum, and displacement in solid 4He across the supersolid transition temperature range.

Findings

No significant change in atomic kinetic energy or lattice parameter near the transition

Mean square displacement remains unchanged in the supersolid transition region

Results suggest NCRI is different from superfluid transition in liquid helium

Abstract

The observation of a non-classical rotation inertia (NCRI) fraction in bulk solid 4He by M. Chan and E. Kim attracted significant interest as a possible manifestation of supersolid state of matter. Despite numerous experimental and theoretical studies inspired by this observation, an explicit explanation for this phenomenon is still missing. Neutron scattering experiments on solid elium may help to shed light on the physical grounds of NCRI and answer the question on whether this phenomenon could be caused by Bose-Einstein Condensation. In this paper we are going to discuss the results obtained in experiments involving neutron scattering on solid 4He. Microscopic quantitative data such as mean kinetic energy, mean square momentum and mean square displacement of helium atoms as well as the lattice parameter have been obtained for the first time for solid 4He in temperature range 70 mK - 500 mK. No change was seen in the single atom kinetic energy within statistical error better than 1per cent as well as change in the lattice parameter within 0.03 per cent. The mean square displacement did not change in the region of expected supersolid transition either. All these results suggest that the NCRI transition is quite different from the superfluid transition in liquid 4He.