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Thin \(^4\)He Films on Alkali Substrates: Where Do \(^3\)He Atoms Bind?

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Abstract

The possible occurrence of bound states of \(^3\)He atoms in the vicinity of a weakly attractive substrate coated with a thin superfluid \(^4\)He film is investigated by first principle computer simulations. No evidence is seen of such bound states, even in the case of the weakest substrate, i.e., Cs; a single \(^3\)He atom always binds to the free \(^4\)He surface, regardless of the thickness of the \(^4\)He film. A comparison of \(^4\)He density profiles computed in this work with those yielded by the Density Functional approach that led to the prediction of \(^3\)He bound states near the substrate shows that the latter may not have afforded a sufficiently accurate structural description of the adsorbed \(^4\)He film.

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Notes

  1. The parameters for this particular potential are taken from Table 1 of Ref. [5]. They are different from those reported in Table 1 of Ref. [22].

  2. It should be noted that the methodology utilized in this work allows one to observe, in a computer simulation, a thin film of pure \(^4\)He on a Cs substrate “bead up” and form a single droplet, at the temperature considered in this study. However, this requires that systems of sufficiently large size be studied. For \(N \lesssim 200\) and/or at low coverage, periodic boundary conditions stabilize a uniform thin film.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada. Computing support of ComputeCanada is acknowledged.

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  1. Department of Physics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2H5, Canada

    Massimo Boninsegni

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Boninsegni, M. Thin \(^4\)He Films on Alkali Substrates: Where Do \(^3\)He Atoms Bind?. J Low Temp Phys 210, 93–102 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10909-022-02914-6

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