Helium-4 Glass Phase: a Model for Liquid Elements

TL;DR

This paper discusses a model for liquid helium forming a glass phase under pressure, highlighting its thermodynamic properties and residual entropy, which may serve as a universal model for liquid elements.

Contribution

It introduces a model explaining the formation of a glass phase in liquid helium with universal thermodynamic properties, extending glass physics to liquid elements.

Findings

Specific heat decreases at low temperatures.

Residual entropy is about 23.6% of melting entropy.

Effective transition temperature increases with frozen enthalpy.

Abstract

The specific heat of liquid helium confined under pressure in nanoporous material and the formation, in these conditions, of a glass phase accompanied by latent heat are known. These properties are in good agreement with a recent model predicting, in liquid elements, the formation of ultrastable glass having universal thermodynamic properties. The third law of thermodynamics involves that the specific heat decreases at low temperatures and consequently the effective transition temperature of the glass increases up to the temperature where the frozen enthalpy becomes equal to the predicted value. The glass residual entropy is about 23.6% of the melting entropy.