Pairing States of Superfluid 3He in Uniaxially Anisotropic Aerogel

TL;DR

This paper investigates how uniaxial anisotropy in aerogel influences superfluid 3He pairing states, predicting the stabilization of the polar phase and an expanded ABM phase region due to anisotropic effects.

Contribution

It introduces the effect of global uniaxial anisotropy on superfluid 3He, predicting the emergence of a polar phase and wider ABM phase stability in anisotropic aerogel.

Findings

Uniaxial anisotropy widens the ABM phase stability region.

A pure polar phase with a horizontal line node is predicted below T_c(P).

Results suggest relevance to isotropic aerogel cases.

Abstract

Stable pairing states of superfluid 3He in aerogel are examined in the case with a global uniaxial anisotropy which may be created by applying an uniaxial stress to the aerogel. Due to such a global anisotropy, the stability region of an ABM pairing state becomes wider. In an uniaxially stretched aerogel, the pure polar pairing state with a horizontal line node is predicted to occur, as a 3d superfluid phase, over a measurable width just below the superfluid transition at T_c(P). A possible relevance of the present results to the case with no global anisotropy is also discussed.