Modification of the He3 phase diagram by anisotropic disorder

R. G. Bennett*, N. Zhelev, E. N. Smith, J. Pollanen, W. P. Halperin, J. M. Parpia

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

12 Scopus citations

Abstract

Motivated by the recent prediction that uniaxially compressed aerogel can stabilize the anisotropic A phase over the isotropic B phase, we measure the pressure dependent superfluid fraction of He3 entrained in 10% axially compressed, 98% porous aerogel. We observe that a broad region of the temperature-pressure phase diagram is occupied by the metastable A phase. The reappearance of the A phase on warming from the B phase, before superfluidity is extinguished at Tc, is in contrast to its absence in uncompressed aerogel. The phase diagram is modified from that of pure He3, with the disappearance of the polycritical point (PCP) and the appearance of a region of A phase extending below the PCP of bulk He3, even in zero applied magnetic field. The expected alignment of the A phase texture by compression is not observed.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article number235504
JournalPhysical review letters
Volume107
Issue number23
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 30 2011

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • General Physics and Astronomy

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