Fluid and registered phases in the second layer of 3He on graphite

Abstract

A quantum Monte Carlo approach, considering all the corrugation effects, was used to calculate the complete phase diagram of the second ${}^3$He layer adsorbed on graphite. We found that a first-layer triangular solid was in equilibrium with a gas in the second layer. At a surface density $0.166\pm 0.001$ Å${}^{-2}$, this fluid changes into two first-layer registered phases: 4/7 and 7/12 solids. The 7/12 arrangement transforms into an incommensurate triangular structure of $\rho =0.189\pm 0.001$ Å${}^{-2}$ upon further helium loading. A recently proposed hexatic phase was found to be unstable with respect to those commensurate solids.

5 pages

References in corpus (5)

• 4He on a single graphene sheet
• Liquid and solid phases of 3He on graphite
• Structure of metastable 2D liquid helium
• Low-density phases of ${}^3$He monolayers adsorbed on graphite
• 3He on preplated graphite

Cited by in corpus (2)

• Superfluid and supersolid phases of 4He on the second layer of graphite
• On the Novel Superfluidity in the Second Layer of ${}^4$He on Graphite