Nuclear spin ordering on the surface of a 3He crystal: magnetic steps.
The growth rates of the (110) and (100) facets on bcc (3)He crystals have been measured near the magnetic ordering transition at T_{N} = 0.93 mK. In the ordered phase, we have observed several growth modes which correspond to different values of the step energy. We show that, because of quantum delocalization, the step induces a cluster of ferromagnetically ordered nuclear spins. The free energy of such a cluster is relatively large and depends on the orientation of the underlying antiferromagnetic domain. In the paramagnetic phase, the mobilities of the basic facets are greatly reduced because of the much slower spin diffusion in the bulk solid.
Todoshchenko
I A
IA
Low Temperature Laboratory, Helsinki University of Technology, 02015 TKK, Finland.
Alles
H
H
Junes
H J
HJ
Manninen
M S
MS
Parshin
A Ya
AY