0000000000739715
AUTHOR
M. A. Solís
Quantum Thermodynamic Perturbation Theory for Fermions
The quantum version of classical thermodynamic perturbation theory is applied to the ground state of a fluid of spin-1/2 fermions interacting via the Aziz interatomic potential, as a model for liquid 3He. Results from the rapidly-convergent sixth-order calculation about the unperturbed hard-sphere fluid for energy, density and sound velocity at the zero-pressure liquid equilibrium point, lie within a few percent of computer-simulation values and appreciably closer than the most elaborate recent variational calculation. The procedure explicitly avoids crossing phase boundaries and is relatively insensitive to varying the close-packing density up to a value somewhat below the maximum possible…
Thermal nucleation of cavities in liquid helium at negative pressures
We have investigated the nucleation rate at which cavities are formed in $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ and $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ at negative pressures due to thermal fluctuations. To this end, we have used a density functional that reproduces the He liquid-gas interface along the coexistence line. The inclusion of thermal effects in the calculation of the barrier against nucleation results in a sizable decrease of the absolute value of the tensile strength above 1.5 K.