Excitations of Amorphous Solid Helium

ORAL

Abstract

We present neutron scattering measurements of the dynamic structure factor, $S(Q,\omega)$, of amorphous solid helium confined in 47 \AA~pore diameter MCM-41 at pressure $48.6$ bar. At low temperature, $T$ = 0.05 K, we observe $S(Q,\omega)$ of the confined quantum amorphous solid plus the bulk polycrystalline solid between the MCM-41 powder grains. No liquid-like phonon-roton modes, other sharply defined modes at low energy ($\omega<$ 1.0 meV) or modes unique to a quantum amorphous solid that might suggest superflow are observed. Rather the $S(Q,\omega)$ of confined amorphous and bulk polycrystalline solid appear to be very similar. At higher temperature ($T>$ 1 K), the amorphous solid in the MCM-41 pores melts to a liquid which has a broad $S(Q,\omega)$ peaked near $\omega \simeq$ 0 characteristic of normal liquid $^4$He under pressure. Expressions for the $S(Q,\omega)$ of amorphous and polycrystalline solid helium are presented and compared. In previous measurements of liquid $^4$He confined in MCM-41 at lower pressure the intensity in the liquid roton mode decreases with increasing pressure until the roton vanishes at the solidification pressure (38 bars), consistent with no roton in the solid observed here

Authors

  • Jacques Bossy

    • Institut N\&#039;eel, CNRS-UJF, BP 166, 38042 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
  • Jacques Ollivier

    • Institut Laue-Langevin, BP 156, 38042 Grenoble, France
  • Helmut Schober

    • Institut Laue-Langevin, BP 156, 38042 Grenoble, France, Universite Joseph Fourier, UFR de Physique, F38041 Grenoble Cedex 9, France
  • Henry R. Glyde

    • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Delaware
    • University of Delaware