Collective modes in supersolid 4-He

Abstract

We derive the hydrodynamic equations of motion of solid and supersolid 4-He, that describe the collective modes of these phases. In particular, the usual hydrodynamics is modified in such a way that it leads to the presence of a propagating instead of a diffusive defect mode. The former is oppropiate for a quantum crystal and observed in recent experiments. Furthermore, we find that in supersolid helium there are two additional modes associated with the superfluid degrees of freedom. The observation of these additional modes is a clear experimental signature of the superfluid phase.