Onset Properties of Supersolid Helium

Abstract

Supersolid helium has a rather low transition temperature and a small critical velocity, compared with liquid helium. These properties could be explained in terms of helium's spectrum structure and quantum jumps involving large momentum transfer. A grain in the solid helium possess valleys (local minima) in its many-body dispersion curve, and an exchange of large momenta with the grain's surroundings occurs in a jump between a level in one valley and another level in the neighboring valley. Such jump process also naturally causes dissipation accompanying the onset of supersolidity.