Superglass Phase of Helium-four
Statistical Mechanics
2009-11-11 v6
Abstract
We study different solid phases of Helium-four, by means of Path Integral Monte Carlo simulations based on a recently developed "worm" algorithm. Our study includes simulations that start off from a high-T gas phase, which is then "quenched" down to T=0.2 K. The low-T properties of the system crucially depend on the initial state. While an ideal hcp crystal is a clear-cut insulator, the disordered system freezes into a "superglass", i.e., a metastable amorphous solid featuring off-diagonal long-range order and superfluidity.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0512103,
title = {Superglass Phase of Helium-four},
author = {M. Boninsegni and N. Prokof'ev and B. Svistunov},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0512103},
year = {2009}
}