AI Article Synopsis
- This study investigates the structural and superfluid properties of parahydrogen clusters with 25, 26, and 27 molecules at low temperatures using quantum Monte Carlo simulations and the Silvera-Goldman pair potential.
- The findings indicate that clusters with 25 and 27 molecules exhibit superfluid characteristics as they transition to a more liquid-like state due to quantum effects, while the 26-molecule cluster remains solid-like.
- The 26-molecule cluster is proposed to be a "supersolid," supported by simulation results involving isotopic substitutions of a single parahydrogen molecule within the cluster.
Article Abstract
We present results of a theoretical study of structural and superfluid properties of parahydrogen (p-H(2)) clusters comprising 25, 26, and 27 molecules at low temperature. The microscopic model utilized here is based on the Silvera-Goldman pair potential. Numerical results are obtained by means of quantum Monte Carlo simulations, making use of the continuous-space worm algorithm. The clusters are superfluid in the low temperature limit, but display markedly different physical behaviors. For N = 25 and 27, superfluidity at low temperature arises as clusters melt, that is, become progressively liquid-like as a result of quantum effects. On the other hand, for N = 26, the cluster remains rigid and solid-like. We argue that the cluster (p-H(2))(26) can be regarded as a mesoscopic "supersolid". This physical picture is supported by results of simulations in which a single p-H(2) molecule in the cluster is isotopically substituted.
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| http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/jp110524p | DOI Listing |
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