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Physical Review Letters

Temperature and Magnetic Field Dependence of Three-Body Recombination in Spin-Polarized Hydrogen

Harald F. Hess, David A. Bell, Gregory P. Kochanski, Daniel Kleppner, Thomas J. Greytak

Published Apr 23, 1984• 59 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The three-body recombination rate in spin-polarized hydrogen has been measured at temperatures from 0.25 to 0.60 K in magnetic fields from 5 to 9 T. In contrast to theoretical expectation, the three-body rate is a weakly decreasing function of field in this region. At 7.6 T the gas and surface three-body rate constants are ${L}_{g}=7.5(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}39}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{6}$ ${\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ and ${L}_{s}=2.0(6)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}24}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{4}$ ${\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. The large value of ${L}_{s}$ can account for effects previously attributed to an anomalously large surface two-body nuclear relaxation rate.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.52.1520

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Physical review. B, Condensed matter•Dec 1, 1988•6 citations
The three-body recombination rate in spin-polarized hydrogen has been measured at temperatures from 0.25 to 0.60 K in magnetic fields from 5 to 9 T. In contrast to theoretical expectation, the three-body rate is a weakly decreasing function of field in this region. At 7.6 T the gas and surface three-body rate constants are Lg=7.5(3)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−39{L}_{g}=7.5(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}39}Lg​=7.5(3)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−39 cm6{\mathrm{cm}}^{6}cm6 s\ensuremath−1{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}s\ensuremath−1 and Ls=2.0(6)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−24{L}_{s}=2.0(6)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}24}Ls​=2.0(6)\ifmmode×\else\texttimes\fi10\ensuremath−24 cm4{\mathrm{cm}}^{4}cm4 s\ensuremath−1{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}s\ensuremath−1. The large value of Ls{L}_{s}Ls​ can account for effects previously attributed to an anomalously large surface two-body nuclear relaxation rate.
We have studied relaxation and recombination processes in compressed, doubly polarized atomic hydrogen at temperatures from 0.13 to 0.60 K and magnetic fields from 3 to 9 T. The gas and surface dipole three-body recombination rate constants at a field of 7.6 T are measured to be, respectively, Lg{L}_{g}Lg​=8.9(8)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}39}$ cm6{\mathrm{cm}}^{6}cm6 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and Ls{L}_{s}Ls​=1.2(4)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}24}$ cm4{\mathrm{cm}}^{4}cm4 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. They decrease slowly with field and Ls{L}_{s}Ls​ exhibits no significant angular dependence. The three-body recombination rate due to hyperfine mixing has also been measured. Electronic and nuclear relaxation rates have been measured; the b-c electronic relaxation rate constant in the gas is Gbc{G}^{\mathrm{bc}}Gbc=1.03(7)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}15}$ cm3{\mathrm{cm}}^{3}cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$exp(-Ebc{E}_{\mathrm{bc}}Ebc​/kB{k}_{B}kB​T). The temperature and field dependence of the nuclear relaxation rate in the gas are observed to be in excellent agreement with recent theoretical calculations. Three-body surface recombination-rate measurements using $^{3}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}^{4}$He surfaces indicate that as little as one monolayer of 3He^{3}\mathrm{He}3He on the liquid 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He surface appreciably decreases the adsorption energy of atomic hydrogen. Densities achieved include 4.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1018{10}^{18}1018 atoms${\mathrm{?}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ at 0.55 K (pure 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He walls), and 1.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1018{10}^{18}1018 atoms${\mathrm{?}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ at 0.19 K (8 at. ? sup 3---He).
We study three-body recombination in the gas of spin-polarized atomic hydrogen adsorbed on the surface of superfluid helium at temperatures from 45to130mK45\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\text{to}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}130\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{mK}45to130mK. The two-dimensional gas is thermally compressed to densities up to $\ensuremath{\approx}4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{12}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}2}$ using the ``cold spot'' method which makes the three-body process the dominant decay channel in the system. We measure the loss rate and surface density of atoms directly and independently and observe the former to be proportional to the third power of the latter. The result for the surface three-body recombination rate constant at 4.6T4.6\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{T}4.6T, ${L}_{s}=2.0(7)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}25}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{4}∕\mathrm{s}$, significantly reduces the discrepancy between the theory and earlier measurements where the surface density was inferred from the adsorption isotherm. We also measured the three-body rate constant on a 0.1% $^{3}\mathrm{He}\text{\ensuremath{-}}^{4}\mathrm{He}$ film and found ${L}_{s}=1.3(4)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}24}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{4}∕\mathrm{s}$. This larger value is attributed to an increased delocalization of adsorbed hydrogen atoms in the direction normal to the surface.
We calculate the surface dipolar recombination rate Ls{L}_{s}Ls​ for spin-polarized hydrogen adsorbed on 4He^{4}\mathrm{He}4He surfaces at temperatures in the 0.2- to 0.6-K regime and for magnetic fields up to 30 T. For a magnetic field of 7.6 T normal to the surface and 0.4 K we find ${L}_{s}=1.3(3)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}25}$ cm4{\mathrm{cm}}^{4}cm4 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ increasing by 10%/T in the range of experimental interest. The anisotropy with the direction of the magnetic field is considerably smaller than in the case of the surface dipolar relaxation.
The study of spin-polarized atomic hydrogen in the three-dimensional gas phase has been extended into a new regime of magnetic field strength. Analysis of decay data for B=10--20 T reveal for the first time the characteristic peak in the three-body dipolar-decay rate constant as predicted by Kagan, Vartanyants, and Shlyapnikov (Zh. Eksp. Teor. Fiz. 81, 1113 (1981) [Sov. Phys.---JETP 54, 590 (1981)]). Beyond 17 T we observe a rapid falloff of the three-body-decay rate constant. We also determine a value for the three-body-exchange rate constant which is in accord with the calculation of Kagan et al. In contrast to the picture which was emerging from previous studies at more moderate fields, the data presented here suggest that existing theories are capable of describing the decay of the system in the very-high-field limit. The new picture which is emerging suggests that Bose-Einstein condensation may be achievable at somewhat higher fields which are currently available at high-magnetic-field facilities.