Skip to main content

Surface-induced order parameter distortion in superfluid He3-B measured by nonlinear NMR

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)

Author

L.V. Levitin
R.G. Bennett
E.V. Surovtsev
J.M. Parpia
B. Cowan
A.J. Casey
J. Saunders

Abstract

The B phase of superfluid He3 is a three-dimensional time-reversal invariant topological superfluid, predicted to support gapless Majorana surface states. We confine superfluid He3 into a thin nanofluidic slab geometry. In the presence of a weak symmetry-breaking magnetic field, we have observed two possible states of the confined He3-B phase manifold, through the small tipping angle NMR response. Large tipping angle nonlinear NMR has allowed the identification of the order parameter of these states and enabled a measurement of the surface-induced gap distortion. The results for two different quasiparticle surface scattering boundary conditions are compared with the predictions of weak-coupling quasiclassical theory. We identify a textural domain wall between the two B phase states, the edge of which at the cavity surface is predicted to host gapless states, protected in the magnetic field. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Date Published

Journal

Physical Review Letters

Volume

111

Issue

23

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84890285773&doi=10.1103%2fPhysRevLett.111.235304&partnerID=40&md5=f3a3f21c5b0811681584451fe16ea188

DOI

10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.235304

Group (Lab)

Jeevak Parpia Group

Funding Source

1202991
228464
EP/E054129/1
EP/J022004/1

Download citation