arXiv subjects

J. Pollanen

Publications and source records attributed to J. Pollanen.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

arXiv2008

Anomalous Attenuation of Transverse Sound in 3He

We present the first measurements of the attenuation of transverse sound in superfluid 3He-B. We use fixed path length interferometry combined with the magneto-acoustic Faraday effect to vary the effective path length by a factor of two, resulting in absolute values of the attenuation. We find that attenuation is significantly larger than expected from the theoretical dispersion relation, in contrast to the phase velocity of transverse sound. We suggest that the anomalous attenuation can be explained by surface Andreev bound states.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Impurity Effects of Aerogel in Superfluid $^{3}$He

The discovery of superfluid $^{3}$He in high porosity silica aerogels, and subsequent experimental and theoretical work, have led to a better general understanding of quasiparticle scattering from impurities in unconventional pairing systems. It is immensely helpful for understanding impurity effects in the case of superfluid $^{3}$He that the structure of its order parameter is well-established. An overview of impurity effects is presented with emphasis on those experiments which have a quantitative interpretation in terms of theoretical models for homogeneous and inhomogeneous scattering. The latter can account successfully for most experimental results.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Low temperature thermal resistance for a new design of silver sinter heat exchanger

We have developed a novel procedure for constructing high surface area silver sinter heat exchangers. Our recipe incorporates nylon fibers having a diameter of ~ 50 microns and thin wires of bulk silver in the heat exchanger. In order to increase the thermal conductance of liquid helium within the heat exchanger, prior to sintering, the nylon fibers are dissolved with an organic acid leaving a network of channels. In addition, the silver wires reinforce the structural integrity, and reduce the resistance, of the silver sinter. We have constructed a 3-He melting curve thermometer (MCT) with this type of heat exchanger and measured the thermal time response of the liquid 3-He inside the MCT in the temperature range T = 2-150 mK. We find a thermal relaxation time of ~ 490 s at T ~ 1 mK. We have used scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterize the heat exchanger and BET absorption for determination of the specific surface area.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2008

Superfluid Phase Stability of $^3$He in Axially Anisotropic Aerogel

Measurements of superfluid $^3$He in 98% aerogel demonstrate the existence of a metastable \emph{A}-like phase and a stable \emph{B}-like phase. It has been suggested that the relative stability of these two phases is controlled by anisotropic quasiparticle scattering in the aerogel. Anisotropic scattering produced by axial compression of the aerogel has been predicted to stabilize the axial state of superfluid $^3$He. To explore this possiblity, we used transverse acoustic impedance to map out the phase diagram of superfluid $^3$He in a $\sim 98$% porous silica aerogel subjected to 17% axial compression. We have previously shown that axial anisotropy in aerogel leads to optical birefringence and that optical cross-polarization studies can be used to characterize such anisotropy. Consequently, we have performed optical cross-polarization experiments to verify the presence and uniformity of the axial anisotropy in our aerogel sample. We find that uniform axial anisotropy introduced by 17% compression does not stabilize the \emph{A}-like phase. We also find an increase in the supercooling of the \emph{A}-like phase at lower pressure, indicating a modification to \emph{B}-like phase nucleation in \emph{globally} anisotropic aerogels.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2008

Stability of the A-like Phase of Superfluid 3He in Aerogel with Globally Anisotropic Scattering

It has been suggested that anisotropic quasiparticle scattering will stabilize anisotropic phases of superfluid $^3$He contained within highly porous silica aerogel. For example, global anisotropy introduced via uniaxial compression of aerogel might stabilize the axial state, which is called the A-phase in bulk superfluid 3He. Here we present measurements of the phase diagram of superfluid 3He in a 98% porous silica aerogel using transverse acoustic impedance methods. We show that uniaxial compression of the aerogel by 17% does not stabilize an axial phase.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2008

Discovery of an Excited Pair State in Superfluid 3He

Order parameter collective modes are the fingerprint of a condensed phase. The spectroscopy of these modes in superfluid $^3$He and unconventional superconductors can provide key information on the symmetry of the condensate as well as the microscopic pairing mechanism responsible for the ground state and excitation energies. We report the discovery of a new collective mode in superfluid $^3$He-B which we identify as an excited bound state of Cooper pairs. We use interferometry within an acoustic cavity that is very sensitive to changes in the velocity of transverse sound. Our measurements of sound velocity and mode frequency, together with the observation of acoustic birefringence indicate that this new mode is weakly bound with an excitation energy within 1% of the pair-breaking edge of $2Δ$. Based on the selection rules for coupling of transverse sound to a collective mode in $^3$He-B, combined with the observation of acoustic birefringence near the collective mode frequency, we infer that the new mode is most likely a spin-triplet (S=1), $f$-wave pair exciton (L=3) with total angular momentum, J=4. The existence of a pair exciton with J=4 suggests an attractive, sub-dominant, $f$-wave pairing interaction in liquid $^3$He.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Globally Anisotropic High Porosity Silica Aerogels

We discuss two methods by which high porosity silica aerogels can be engineered to exhibit global anisotropy. First, anisotropy can be introduced with axial strain. In addition, intrinsic anisotropy can result during growth and drying stages and, suitably controlled, it can be correlated with preferential radial shrinkage in cylindrical samples. We have performed small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) to characterize these two types of anisotropy. We show that global anisotropy originating from either strain or shrinkage leads to optical birefringence and that optical cross-polarization studies are a useful characterization of the uniformity of the imposed global anisotropy.

cond-mat.other↗

arXiv2007

Strong Coupling Corrections to the Ginzburg-Landau Theory of Superfluid ^{3}He

In the Ginzburg-Landau theory of superfluid $^{3}$He, the free energy is expressed as an expansion of invariants of a complex order parameter. Strong coupling effects, which increase with increasing pressure, are embodied in the set of coefficients of these order parameter invariants\cite{Leg75,Thu87}. Experiments can be used to determine four independent combinations of the coefficients of the five fourth order invariants. This leaves the phenomenological description of the thermodynamics near $T_{c}$ incomplete. Theoretical understanding of these coefficients is also quite limited. We analyze our measurements of the magnetic susceptibility and the NMR frequency shift in the $B$-phase which refine the four experimental inputs to the phenomenological theory. We propose a model based on existing experiments, combined with calculations by Sauls and Serene\cite{Sau81} of the pressure dependence of these coefficients, in order to determine all five fourth order terms. This model leads us to a better understanding of the thermodynamics of superfluid $^{3}$He in its various states. We discuss the surface tension of bulk superfluid $^{3}$He and predictions for novel states of the superfluid such as those that are stabilized by elastic scattering of quasiparticles from a highly porous silica aerogel.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Magneto-Acoustic Spectroscopy in Superfluid 3He-B

We have used the recently discovered acoustic Faraday effect in superfluid 3He to perform high resolution spectroscopy of an excited state of the superfluid condensate. With acoustic cavity interferometry we measure the rotation of the plane of polarization of a transverse sound wave propagating in the direction of magnetic field from which we determine the Zeeman energy of the excited state. We interpret the Lande g-factor, combined with the zero-field energies of the state, using the theory of Sauls and Serene to calculate the strength of f -wave interactions in 3He.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2007

Magnetoresistance of UPt3

We have performed measurements of the temperature dependence of the magnetoresistance up to 9 T in bulk single crystals of UPt3 with the magnetic field along the b axis, the easy magnetization axis. We have confirmed previous results for transverse magnetoresistance with the current along the c axis, and report measurements of the longitudinal magnetoresistance with the current along the b axis. The presence of a linear term in both cases indicates broken orientational symmetry associated with magnetic order. With the current along the c axis the linear term appears near 5 K, increasing rapidly with decreasing temperature. For current along the b axis the linear contribution is negative.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2006

Analysis of Strong-Coupling Parameters for Superfluid 3He

Superfluid $^{3}$He experiments show strong deviation from the weak-coupling limit of the Ginzburg-Landau theory, and this discrepancy grows with increasing pressure. Strong-coupling contributions to the quasiparticle interactions are known to account for this effect and they are manifest in the five $β$-coefficients of the fourth order Ginzburg-Landau free energy terms. The Ginzburg-Landau free energy also has a coefficient $g_{z}$ to include magnetic field coupling to the order parameter. From NMR susceptibility experiments, we find the deviation of $g_{z}$ from its weak-coupling value to be negligible at all pressures. New results for the pressure dependence of four different combinations of $β$-coefficients, $β$_{345}, $β$_{12}, $β$_{245}, and $β$_{5} are calculated and comparison is made with theory.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Anisotropic Aerogels for Studying Superfluid $^3$He

It may be possible to stabilize new superfluid phases of $^{3}$He with anisotropic silica aerogels. We discuss two methods that introduce anisotropy in the aerogel on length scales relevant to superfluid $^{3}$He. First, anisotropy can be induced with uniaxial strain. A second method generates anisotropy during the growth and drying stages. We have grown cylindrical $\sim$98% aerogels with anisotropy indicated by preferential radial shrinkage after supercritical drying and find that this shrinkage correlates with small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). The growth-induced anisotropy was found to be $\sim90^\circ$ out of phase relative to that induced by strain. This has implications for the possible stabilization of superfluid phases with specific symmetry.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Imaginary Squashing Mode Spectroscopy of Helium Three B

We have made precision measurements of the frequency of a collective mode of the superfluid 3He-B order parameter, the J=2- imaginary squashing mode. Measurements were performed at multiple pressures using interference of transverse sound in an acoustic cavity. Transverse waves propagate in the vicinity of this order parameter mode owing to off-resonant coupling. At the crossing of the sound mode and the order parameter mode, the sound wave is strongly attenuated. We use both velocity and attenuation measurements to determine precise values of the mode frequency with a resolution between 0.1% and 0.25%.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Collective Modes and f-wave Pairing Interactions in Superfluid 3He

Precision measurements of a collective mode in superfluid 3He B are sensitive to quasiparticle and f wave pairing interactions. Measurements were performed at various pressures using interference of transverse sound in an acoustic cavity. We fit the measured collective mode frequencies, which depend on the strength of f wave pairing and the Fermi liquid parameter F2s, to theoretical predictions and discuss what implications these values have for observing new order parameter collective modes.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Specific Heat of Disordered $^{3}$He

Porous aerogel is a source of elastic scattering in superfluid 3He and modifies the properties of the superfluid, suppressing the transition temperature and order parameter. The specific heat jumps for the B-phase of superfluid 3He in aerogel have been measured as a function of pressure and interpreted using the homogeneous and inhomogeneous isotropic scattering models. The specific heat jumps for other p-wave states are estimated for comparison.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Compressed Silica Aerogels for the Study of Superfluid 3He

We have performed Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) on uniaxially strained aerogels and measured the strain-induced structural anisotropy. We use a model to connect our SAXS results to anisotropy of the 3He quasiparticle mean free path in aerogel.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Acoustic Spectroscopy of Superfluid 3He in Aerogel

We have designed an experiment to study the role of global anisotropic quasiparticle scattering on the dirty aerogel superfluid 3He system. We observe significant regions of two stable phases at temperatures below the superfluid transition at a pressure of 25 bar for a 98% aerogel.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2006

Surface Specific Heat of $^{3}$He and Andreev Bound States

High resolution measurements of the specific heat of liquid $^{3}$He in the presence of a silver surface have been performed at temperatures near the superfluid transition in the pressure range of 1 to 29 bar. The surface contribution to the heat capacity is identified with Andreev bound states of $^{3}$He quasiparticles that have a range of half a coherence length.

cond-mat.supr-con↗