Evidence of a superfluid phase in a Bose condensed excitonic state

Laboratorium für Festkörperphysik, ETH Zürich - CH-8093 Zürich, Switzerland

Corresponding author: wachter@solid.phys.ethz.ch

Received: 21 January 2003
Accepted: 3 March 2003

Abstract

A condensed excitonic phase has been realized in intermediate valent at low temperatures and high pressures. In this paper we report for the first time about some thermodynamic properties such as the heat conductivity and the thermal diffusivity which have been obtained between 300 and 1 and between ambient pressure and 17 (1.7). Pressure and temperature are used to navigate in the intermediate valent semiconducting phase, in the condensed excitonic phase and in the intermediate valent metallic phase of the complete phase diagram. In the condensed excitonic phase the heat conductivity λ of the excitonic phase increases exponentially below about 20 suggesting a superthermal current for . In a solid this has never been seen before. Also the thermal diffusivity a strongly increases below 20, giving evidence for second sound.