Condensed Matter Seminar

X-Ray Studies of the Supersolid State

Prof. Clement Burns
Department of Physics
Western Michigan University

Friday, September 22, 2006 - 4:00 P.M., NSH 184

In 1925, Bose and Einstein predicted that at low temperatures a macroscopic number of the atoms in a boson gas would condense into the ground state, resulting in a new form of matter called a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC). These condensates are macroscopic quantum objects, which have a number of amazing properties, including the ability to flow with zero viscosity.  A superfluid state was first discovered in liquid helium in the 1930’s. BEC in a gas was first accomplished in 1995. In 2004, Kim and Chan found superfluid-like behavior in solid helium at low temperatures, providing evidence for the so-called supersolid state. A number of other groups have since confirmed this work. Here we discuss our recent x-ray measurements on the supersolid.