Evidence for melting of HD and D-2 clusters in solid neon below 1 K



: Sheludiakov S, Ahokas J, Jarvinen J, Lehtonen L, Vasiliev S, Dmitriev YA, Lee DM, Khmelenko VV

Publisher: AMER PHYSICAL SOC

: 2019

: Physical Review B

: PHYSICAL REVIEW B

: PHYS REV B

: ARTN 174514

: 99

: 17

: 8

: 2469-9950

: 2469-9969

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.99.174514

: https://journals.aps.org/prb/pdf/10.1103/PhysRevB.99.174514

: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/41070933


We report on an electron spin resonance study of H and D atoms stabilized in solid mixtures of neon, molecular deuterium, and hydrogen deuteride. We observed that H and D atoms can be stabilized in pure HD and D-2 clusters formed in pores of solid Ne as well as in a Ne environment. Raising temperature from 0.1 to 1.3 K results in a rapid recombination of a significant fraction of both H and D atoms in HD and D-2 clusters. The recombination rate appears to be five and seven orders of magnitude faster than in solid bulk samples of HD and D-2, respectively. We explain this recombination rate enhancement by melting of clusters of molecular hydrogen isotopes, similar to what has been observed for atomic hydrogen in H-2 clusters [Sheludiakov et al., Phys. Rev. B 97, 104108 (2018)]. Our observations do not provide evidence for a superfluid behavior of these clusters at temperatures of 0.1-1.3 K.

Last updated on 2024-26-11 at 11:51