Analysis of decomposition of impurity–helium solid phase

Abstract

The elemental composition of the impurity–helium solid phase (IHSP) grown by injecting of a gas jet containing Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe atoms and N2 molecules into superfluid HeII is studied. The measured stoichiometric ratios S=NHe/NIm are much larger than the values predicted by the model of frozen together monolayer helium clusters. The theoretical possibility of freezing together of two-layered clusters is justified in the continual model of the helium subsystem of IHSP which fills the space between rigid impurity centers. Regularities of decomposition of “dry” samples (extracted from liquid helium) are analyzed in the temperature range 1.5–12 K under pressures from 10 to 500 torr. Two stages of sample decomposition are discovered: a slow stage accompanied by cooling and a rapid stage accompanied by heat release. These results suggest the presence of two types of helium in IHSP, viz., weakly bound and strongly bound helium which can be attributed respectively to the second and first coordination spheres of helium formed around heavy impurity particles. A tendency to elevation of the thermal stability of impurity–helium (IH) samples upon an increase in the mass of impurity center has been observed. An increase in the helium vapor pressure above the samples also increases their stability. It is found that the decomposition of IH samples containing nitrogen atoms in the temperature range 3–4.5 K is accompanied with luminescence induced by recombination of atoms. This indicates the possibility of a wide range of chemical reactions in solidified helium.