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Superglass Phase of Helium-four

M. Boninsegni·N. Prokof'ev·B. Svistunov
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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.

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M. Boninsegni, N. Prokof'ev, B. Svistunov. 2006-03-29. Superglass Phase of Helium-four. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.96.105301

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