The Influence Of Elastic Deformations On The Supersolid Transition

TL;DR

This paper explores how elastic deformations affect the supersolid transition temperature using Ginzburg-Landau theory, revealing that local strains can either raise or lower the transition temperature, with implications for superconductors.

Contribution

It introduces a mapping of the GL theory onto a Schrödinger-type equation to analyze strain effects on supersolidity, including dislocation influences, which is a novel approach.

Findings

Contraction increases the transition temperature.

Expansion decreases the transition temperature.

Dislocations can locally enhance the transition temperature.

Abstract

We study, within the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory of phase transitions, how elastic deformations in a supersolid lead to local changes in the supersolid transition temperature. The GL theory is mapped onto a Schrodinger-type equation with an effective potential that depends on local dilatory strain. The effective potential is attractive for local contractions and repulsive for local expansion. Different types of elastic deformations are studied. We find that a contraction (expansion) of the medium that may be brought about by, e.g., applied stress leads to a higher (lower) transition temperature as compared to the unstrained medium. In addition, we investigate edge dislocations and illustrate that the local transition temperature may be increased in the immediate vicinity of the dislocation core. Our analysis is not limited to supersolidity. Similar strain effects should also play a role in superconductors.