Melting process and interface instability of highly magnetized solid 3He: role of the magnetization gradient.

We elucidate the melting process of highly magnetized solid 3He by observing the magnetization profile and the liquid-solid interface simultaneously. Clear enhancements of magnetization and magnetization gradients at the interface of both the solid and the liquid were observed during melting. These measurements provide a mesoscopic confirmation of the melting scenario of Castaing and Nozieres, and explain the long delay before the instability sets in: The magnetization gradient in the liquid leads to an initial suppression of the melting instability, in accordance with our extension of the stability analysis of Puech et al. This resolves the discrepancy between theory and experiment.