Spin-Polarized Quantum Fluids and Solids

Abstract

The spin-polarized phases of the quantum fluids and solids, liquid 3He, solid 3He, and spin-aligned hydrogen have generated considerable excitement over the past fifteen years. The introduction of high magnetic fields (B ∼ 10–30 T) in conjunction with low temperatures (T ≲ 100 mK) has given rise to opportunities for exploring some of the new phases predicted for these materials. There is a broad range of physical phenomena that can be accessed in this regime of parameter space—unconventional superfluidity, unusual magnetic ordering, Bose-Einstein condensation and Kosterlitz-Thouless transitions, to name a few. This is most surprising since this plethora of complicated states of matter are present in some of the most uncomplicated materials. The rich variety of phases found in these materials are all examples of collective phenomena of quantum many-body systems, and they serve as prototypes for developing an understanding of magnetism and order/disorder processes in other systems, and for the design and characterization of new materials.