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Phase diagram of the topological superfluid 3He confined in a nanoscale slab geometry

Cornell Affiliated Author(s)

Author

L.V. Levitin
R.G. Bennett
A.J. Casey
B. Cowan
J. Saunders
D. Drung
Th. Schurig
J.M. Parpia

Abstract

The superfluid phases of helium-3 (3He) are predicted to be strongly influenced by mesoscopic confinement. However, mapping out the phase diagram in a confined geometry has been experimentally challenging. We confined a sample of 3He within a nanofluidic cavity of precisely defined geometry, cooled it, and fingerprinted the order parameter using a sensitive nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The measured suppression of the p-wave order parameter arising from surface scattering was consistent with the predictions of quasi-classical theory. Controlled confinement of nanofluidic samples provides a new laboratory for the study of topological superfluids and their surface- and edge-bound excitations.

Date Published

Journal

Science

Volume

340

Issue

6134

Number of Pages

841-844,

URL

https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84877741212&doi=10.1126%2fscience.1233621&partnerID=40&md5=796e851e5c3b161203cae904b5e0a575

DOI

10.1126/science.1233621

Group (Lab)

Jeevak Parpia Group

Funding Source

0806629
1202991
228464
EP/E054129/1
EP/J022004/1

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