F I Williams

Surface fluctuations of normal and superfluid 3He probed by Wigner solid dynamics.

Electron scattering from surface fluctuations on normal and superfluid 3He has been measured by its effect on the linewidth of the low-wave-vector transverse magnetophonon mode of the electron crystal (the Wigner solid) floating on the helium surface. The relaxation rate becomes anomalously low below 70 mK, and reaches a plateau at about 3 times less than its expected value before dropping further at the superfluid transition. The absence of such anomalous behavior on 4He suggests that the effect is specific to liquid 3He.