Heterogeneous adsorption potential of 3He in silica aerogel and its influence on magnetic relaxation of 3He

Abstract

Significant influence of aerogel surface heterogeneity on the processes of 3He nuclear magnetic relaxation at temperatures 1.5 - 4.2 K is discovered. This influence appears, for instance, in differences of 3He T1 relaxation times for small portion of 3He, adsorbed at different temperatures. Binding energy data of 3He on the surface of powder silica aerogel obtained experimentally and binding energy lies in the wide range. Adsorbed 3He molecules with binding energies 60-250 K play supreme role in processes of nuclear magnetic relaxation of gaseous and liquid 3He in aerogel.