Dynamic properties and the roton mode attenuation in the liquid 3He: an ab initio study within the self-consistent method of moments

TL;DR

This study uses a novel ab initio, self-consistent method of moments combined with PIMC simulations to analyze the dynamic structure factor and collective excitations, confirming the roton mode presence in liquid helium-3.

Contribution

It introduces a non-perturbative, ab initio approach combining sum rules, entropy maximization, and PIMC to study quantum fluid dynamics.

Findings

Identification of a roton-like feature in the excitation spectrum.

Confirmation of the roton mode as a well-defined collective excitation.

Reasonable agreement with experimental data on phonon and roton modes.

Abstract

The dynamic structure factor and the eigenmodes of density fluctuations in the uniform liquid $^3$He are studied using a novel non-perturbative approach. This new version of the self-consistent method of moments invokes up to nine sum rules and other exact relations involving the spectral density, the two-parameter Shannon information entropy maximization procedure, and the ab initio path integral Monte Carlo (PIMC) simulations which provide crucial reliable input information on the system static properties. Detailed analysis of the dispersion relations of collective excitations, the modes decrements and the static structure factor (SSF) of $^3$He at the saturated vapor pressure is performed. The results are compared to available experimental data~[1,2]. The theory reveals a clear signature of the roton-like feature in the particle-hole segment of the excitation spectrum with a significant reduction of the roton decrement in the wavenumber range $1.3 A^{-1} \leq q\leq 2.2 A^{-1}$. The observed roton mode remains a well defined collective excitation even in the particle-hole band, where, however, it is strongly damped. Hence, the existence of the roton-like mode in the bulk liquid $^3$He is confirmed like in other strongly interacting quantum fluids~[3]. The phonon branch of the spectrum is also studied with a reasonable agreement with the same experimental data being achieved. The presented combined approach permits to produce ab initio data on the system dynamic characteristics in a wide range of physical parameters and for other physical systems.