An energy gap in the spectrum of atomic excitations systems

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that atoms in liquid helium can be modeled as localized quantum particles with a discrete energy spectrum, revealing an energy gap that parallels mechanisms in superconductivity.

Contribution

It introduces a model treating atoms as localized in potential wells, leading to the discovery of an energy gap in helium's excitation spectrum, linking superfluidity to superconductivity mechanisms.

Findings

Atoms in liquid helium exhibit a discrete energy spectrum with an ~8.5 K gap.

The energy gap separates ground and excited states, forming s and p zones.

The gap's existence suggests an analogy between superfluidity and superconductivity.

Abstract

It is shown that atoms in the system can be treated as quantum particles localized in potential wells, created by atomic potentials of neighboring atoms. As a result, the state of atoms in the liquid is characterized by wave functions and the discrete energy spectrum resulting in formation of s and p - zones corresponding to the ground and excited states of helium atoms, respectively, separated by a gap. The width of the gap in system equals ~8.5 K at T=0. Formation of the gap in the energy spectrum of atomic excitations in helium systems allows us to draw the analogy between the physical mechanisms of superfluidity and classical superconductivity.