Transport of bound quasiparticle states in a two-dimensional boundary superfluid.

The B phase of superfluid 3He can be cooled into the pure superfluid regime, where the thermal quasiparticle density is negligible. The bulk superfluid is surrounded by a quantum well at the boundaries of the container, confining a sea of quasiparticles with energies below that of those in the bulk. We can create a non-equilibrium distribution of these states within the quantum well and observe the dynamics of their motion indirectly. Here we show that the induced quasiparticle currents flow diffusively in the two-dimensional system. Combining this with a direct measurement of energy conservation, we conclude that the bulk superfluid 3He is effectively surrounded by an independent two-dimensional superfluid, which is isolated from the bulk superfluid but which readily interacts with mechanical probes. Our work shows that this two-dimensional quantum condensate and the dynamics of the surface bound states are experimentally accessible, opening the possibility of engineering two-dimensional quantum condensates of arbitrary topology.

Orbitropic Effect in Superfluid 3He B-phase Boundaries.

In this work, we study the influence of orbital viscosity on the evolution of the order-parameter and texture in the B phase of superfluid 3He near a moving boundary. From the redistribution of thermal quasiparticles within the texture, we develop a model which confers a substantial effective mass on the interface, and provides a new mechanism for friction as the boundary moves. We have tested the model against existing data for the motion of an A-B interface whose motion was controlled by a magnetic field. The model allows us to make predictions for the behaviour in experimental situations which involve texture rearrangement arising from motion of the B-phase boundary.

Annihilation of an AB/BA interface pair in superfluid helium-3 as a simulation of cosmological brane interaction.

This study presents measurements of the transport of quasiparticle excitations in the B phase of superfluid 3He at temperatures below 0.2Tc. We find that creating and then removing a layer of A-phase superfluid leads to a measurable increase in the thermal impedance of the background B phase. This increase must be due to the survival of defects created as the AB and BA interfaces on either side of the A-phase layer annihilate. We speculate that a new type of defect may have been formed. The highly ordered A-B interface may be a good analogy for branes discussed in current cosmology. If so, these experiments may provide insight into how the annihilation of branes can lead to the formation of topological defects such as cosmic strings.