Physical review. B, Condensed matter
Transverse spin diffusion and spin rotation in very dilute, spin-polarized −43 He mixtures
Donald Candela, D. R. McAllaster, L-J. Wei
Abstract
We report measurements of the transverse-spin-diffusion coefficient ${\mathit{D}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$ and the spin-rotation parameter \ensuremath{\Omega}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$ for two very dilute $^{3}\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}^{4}$He mixtures (${\mathit{x}}_{3}$=1.82\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ and 6.26\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}4}$) spin polarized by an 8-T magnetic field. Brute-force spin polarization up to 40% was achieved at the lowest temperature, 6 mK. We find that \ensuremath{\Omega}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$ increases monotonically as the temperature is reduced through the Fermi temperature ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{F}}$, in disagreement with the only previous experiment but in good agreement with recent theory. Unlike the earlier experiment, which measured spin echoes, the present experiments employed a spin-wave technique that avoids nonlinear excitation of the spin field. We compare our results with the recent calculations of Jeon and Mullin for spin transport in dilute gases with arbitrary polarization and degeneracy. The best fit to the data is obtained by scaling the quasiparticle interaction V(q) proposed by Ebner by a modest factor, 1.07. The corresponding s-wave scattering length is a=-1.21 \AA{}. Good agreement is found for \ensuremath{\Omega}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$(T) at both concentrations and all temperatures, and for ${\mathit{D}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$/\ensuremath{\Omega}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$(T) apart from the lower concentration at T20 mK. The discrepancy in ${\mathit{D}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$/\ensuremath{\Omega}${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\perp}}}$ at the lowest temperatures and ${\mathit{x}}_{3}$ could be explained by an unanticipated polarization dependence or by modification of the spin-wave boundary condition by processes occurring at the interface between the mixture and the silica cavity wall.