Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 133401 (2010) [4 pages]
Molecular Superfluid: Nonclassical Rotations in Doped Para-Hydrogen Clusters
Hui Li1,2, Robert J. Le Roy1, Pierre-Nicholas Roy1,*, and A. R. W. McKellar3,†
1Department of Chemistry, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
2Institute of Theoretical Chemistry, State Key Laboratory of Theoretical and Computational Chemistry, Jilin University, 2519 Jiefang Road, Changchun 130023, People’s Republic of China
3Steacie Institute for Molecular Sciences, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0R6, Canada
Received 21 April 2010; published 23 September 2010
See accompanying Physics Synopsis
Clusters of para-hydrogen (pH2) have been predicted to exhibit superfluid behavior, but direct observation of this phenomenon has been elusive. Combining experiments and theoretical simulations, we have determined the size evolution of the superfluid response of pH2 clusters doped with carbon dioxide (CO2). Reduction of the effective inertia is observed when the dopant is surrounded by the pH2 solvent. This marks the onset of molecular superfluidity in pH2. The fractional occupation of solvation rings around CO2 correlates with enhanced superfluid response for certain cluster sizes.
© 2010 The American Physical Society
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.133401PACS:36.40.Ei, 36.40.Mr, 67.25.dw
Thursday 7 October 2010
Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 133401 (2010): Molecular Superfluid: Nonclassical Rotations in Doped Para-Hydrogen Clusters
via prl.aps.org
