Doubly polarized hydrogen has been produced up to densities of 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}
1018 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ with the use of a compression technique. Samples were compressed up to five orders of magnitude into small bubblelike volumes under a column of liquid helium. This technique enabled us to study the volume decay of a bubble at almost constant gas density for minutes. The analysis of the volume decay of such a bubble is discussed. A bulk three-body recombination process was observed with rate constant
C3=[7(2)]\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}39}$
cm6 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, as well as bulk electronic b\ensuremath{\rightarrow}c relaxation with rate constant
Gbcv\ensuremath{\downarrow}=[12(4)]\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}16}$
cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. The nature of the three-body process is analyzed with a set of extended rate equations. The samples were very delicate and rapid compressions could result in explosions.
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=8.9(8)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}39}$
cm6 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and
Ls=1.2(4)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}24}$
cm4 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. They decrease slowly with field and
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=1.03(7)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}15}$
cm3 ${\mathrm{s}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$exp(-
Ebc/
kBT). 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 on the liquid
4He surface appreciably decreases the adsorption energy of atomic hydrogen. Densities achieved include 4.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}
1018 atoms${\mathrm{?}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ at 0.55 K (pure
4He walls), and 1.4\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}
1018 atoms${\mathrm{?}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ at 0.19 K (8 at. ? sup 3---He).
We have compressed spin-polarized atomic hydrogen gas in small, \ensuremath{\gtrsim}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}6}$-
cm3 bubbles to densities higher than
1018 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ using a liquid${\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}^{4}$He piston at temperatures from 0.3 to 0.7 K and in magnetic fields from 4.5 to 7.5 T. A best fit to the compression sweeps is obtained by fixing the binding energy of the adsorbed H atom on the liquid
4He surface to 1.15 K, which then yields the third-order dipolar recombination rate constants
Kbbbv=2.7(7)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}39}$
cm6/s for the gas phase and
Kbbbs=8(2)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}25}$
cm4/s for the adsorbed surface layer. Because of inadequate transfer of the recombination heat to the surrounding He bath, the compression sweeps terminate in a spontaneous thermal explosion of the H\ensuremath{\downarrow} bubble. The pressure at the onset of the explosive recombination event is investigated as a function of ambient temperature, bubble volume, and magnetic field. Qualitative agreement with a simple thermally activated explosion model is found.
Three-body recombination in spin-polarized hydrogen has been observed. Doubly polarized hydrogen was compressed by a piston into a thin cell and the temperature and pressure were independently monitored. Measurements were carried out in the temperature range 0.3 to 0.45 K in a magnetic field of 8.0 T at densities up to 1.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}
1018 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$. The results are in good agreement with the theory of Kagan, Vartanyants and Shlyapnikov.