Stabilization of multi-electron bubbles in superfluid helium

Abstract

Multielectron bubbles (MEBs) in liquid helium were first observed in the late 1970s, but their properties have never been explored experimentally due to their short lifetimes and the difficulty to localize them. We report the observation of long- lived MEBs in a novel cell filled with superfluid helium at static negative pressures. MEBs were extracted from the electron filled vapor sheath of a heated filament loop embedded in the superfluid helium and observed by high-speed photography. MEBs are 2D electron gases on the 3D surface of hollow helium bubbles. Diameters can range from nanometers to millimeters, depending on the number of enclosed electrons. Electrons move in angular momentum states; deformations of the surface are called spherical ripplons. The attractive electron-ripplon interaction leads to an unusual form of superconductivity. If they can be compressed, Wigner crystallization and quantum melting can be observed, as well as a new phase for localization called the ripplo- polaron lattice. MEBs are unstable to tunneling discharge when pressed against a surface. Just as Bose gases are captured in a trap for study, MEBs must also be localized away from walls. We shall discuss methods of capturing them in an electromagnetic trap embedded in the liquid helium.