A study of quantum diffusion in solid H2 is reported based on the measurement of the pressure versus time at constant volume. Solid samples with ortho-H2 concentrations between 0.01 and 0.025 were investigated over the temperature range 0.4–4 K. The characteristic time constant Τ for ortho pair formation or breaking up and the resulting pressure changes are presented and compared with other experiments and with theory. The pressure change calculated from a simple statistical model is in good agreement with the experiment and this leads to the conclusion that both in-plane and out-of-plane pairs appear to form (or break up) at the same rate, at least in our concentration range. The experiments also suggest that the concentration dependence of Τ is in qualitative agreement with theory, which, however, makes no predictions on the temperature dependence. Comparison with other experiments also suggests that Τ might be a function of strains in the sample.
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Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Duke Medical School, Duke University
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Ramm, D., Meyer, H. Quantum diffusion in solid H2 . J Low Temp Phys 40, 173–186 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00115989
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00115989