4He/H2 binary clusters : a path-integral Monte Carlo study

Abstract

The structure and thermodynamic properties of the 4He/H2 binary clusters are studied by path-integral Monte Carlo simulations. It has been found that, despite their lower mass, the H2 molecules form a subcluster of their own at the center of the system. When the number of helium atoms increases for a fixed number of hydrogen molecules, those inner clusters get compressed but retain their original form. The fraction of H2 in the superfluid state decreases with the subcluster compression, but remains finite for small H2 concentrations.