Kinetic energy of He atoms in liquid $^4$He-$^3$He mixtures

TL;DR

This study measures the kinetic energies of helium isotopes in liquid mixtures using neutron scattering, confirming previous experiments and revealing a significant discrepancy with theoretical predictions for helium-3.

Contribution

It provides experimental kinetic energy data for helium isotopes in mixtures, highlighting a notable disagreement with existing theoretical models for helium-3.

Findings

Kinetic energies of helium isotopes were measured across various concentrations.

Results confirm previous experimental findings for both isotopes.

Helium-3 kinetic energy is lower than theoretical estimates, independent of concentration.

Abstract

Deep Inelastic Neutron Scattering measurements on liquid $^3$He-$^4$He mixtures in the normal phase have been performed on the VESUVIO spectrometer at the ISIS pulsed neutron source at exchanged wavevectors of about $q \simeq 120.0$ \AA$^{-1}$. The neutron Compton profiles J(y) of the mixtures were measured along the $T=1.96$ K isotherm for $^3$He concentrations, $x$, ranging from 0.1 to 1.0 at saturated vapour pressures. Values of kinetic energies, $<T>$, of $^3$He and $^4$He atoms as a function of $x$, $<T >(x)$, were extracted from the second moment of J(y). The present determinations of $<T >(x)$ confirm previous experimental findings for both isotopes and, in the case of $^3$He, a substantial disagreement with theory is found. In particular $<T >(x)$ for the $^3$He atoms is found to be independent of concentration yielding a value $<T >_3(x=0.1)\simeq 12 K $, much lower than the value suggested by the most recent theoretical estimates of approximately 19 K .