Related papers: Supersolids: what and where are they ?
The possibility of a supersolid state of matter, i.e., a crystalline solid exhibiting superfluid properties, first appeared in theoretical studies about forty years ago. After a long period of little interest due to the lack of experimental…
For nearly half a century the supersolid phase of matter has remained mysterious, not only eluding experimental observation, but also generating a great deal of controversy among theorists. Recent discovery of what is interpreted as a…
Supersolidity -- a quantum-mechanical phenomenon characterized by the presence of both superfluidity and crystalline order -- was initially envisioned in the context of bulk solid helium, as a possible answer to the question of whether a…
We construct a model of non-uniform condensate having a spatially modulated complex order parameter that makes it kinematically an x-ray solid, i.e., a real mass density wave, but one admitting an associated superfluid flow. Intrinsic to…
The observation of reduced rotational inertia in a cell containing solid helium 4 has been interpreted as evidence for superfluidity of the solid. An alternative explanation is slippage of the solid at the container wall due to grain…
We briefly discuss theoretical and experimental discoveries in the field of supertransport and plasticity in imperfect solid \he4 and argue that these promise new exciting developments. Several experiments aimed at clarifying the origin of…
A key manifestation of superfluidity in liquids and gases is a reduction of the moment of inertia under slow rotations. Non-classical rotational effects have been searched for a long time also for the elusive supersolid phase of matter, in…
More than half a century ago Penrose asked: are the superfluid and solid state of matter mutually exclusive or do there exist "supersolid" materials where the atoms form a regular lattice and simultaneously flow without friction? Recent…
The irrotational nature of superfluid helium was discovered through its decoupling from the container under rotation. Similarly, the resonant period drop of a torsional oscillator (TO) containing solid helium was first interpreted as the…
A supersolid is a system that presents long-range order and shear rigidity as a solid but which also supports a non-dissipative superflow as a superfluid. From an effective perspective, supersolids are identified with phases of matter that…
The torsional oscillator is the chief instrument for investigating supersolidity in solid 4He. These oscillators can be sensitive to the elastic properties of the solid helium, which show anomalies over the same range of temperature in…
The supersolid state of matter, exhibiting non-dissipative flow in solids, has been elusive for thirty five years. The recent discovery of a non-classical moment of inertia in solid 4He by Kim and Chan provided the first experimental…
An abrupt drop in the moment of inertia recently found in solid helium 4 is explained in terms of dynamics of zero-point vacancies (ZPV). Mechanical decoupling of ZPV from the motion of the container due to Bose statistics is developed to a…
We derive the hydrodynamic equations of motion of solid and supersolid 4He, that describe the collective modes of these phases. In particular, the usual hydrodynamics is modified in such a way that it leads to the presence of a propagating…
A supersolid is a fascinating phase of matter, combining the global phase coherence of a superfluid with hallmarks of solids, e.g. a spontaneous breaking of the translational symmetry. Recently, states with such counter-intuitive properties…
Oscillating solid bodies have frequently been used for studying the properties of normal and superfluid helium. In particular, the transition from laminar flow to turbulence has attracted much interest recently. The purpose of this note is…
Recent years have witnessed the emergence of spin supersolids in frustrated quantum magnets, establishing a material-based platform for supersolidity beyond its original context in solid helium. A spin supersolid is characterized by the…
It has been proposed that the observed nonclassical rotational inertia (NCRI) in solid helium results from the superflow of thin liquid films along interconnected grain boundaries within the sample. We have carried out new torsional…
Supersolid is a mysterious and puzzling state of matter whose possible existence has stirred a vigorous debate among physicists for over 60 years. Its elusive nature stems from the coexistence of two seemingly contradicting properties,…
Our knowledge on the possible existence in nature of stable exotic particles depends solely upon experimental observation. Guided by this general principle and motivated by theoretical hypotheses on the existence of stable particles of…