Evidence for melting of HD and D-2 clusters in solid neon below 1 K
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2019 American Physical Society. We report on an electron spin resonance study of H and D atoms stabilized in solid mixtures of neon, molecular deuterium, and hydrogen deuteride. We observed that H and D atoms can be stabilized in pure HD and D2 clusters formed in pores of solid Ne as well as in a Ne environment. Raising temperature from 0.1 to 1.3K results in a rapid recombination of a significant fraction of both H and D atoms in HD and D2 clusters. The recombination rate appears to be five and seven orders of magnitude faster than in solid bulk samples of HD and D2, respectively. We explain this recombination rate enhancement by melting of clusters of molecular hydrogen isotopes, similar to what has been observed for atomic hydrogen in H2 clusters [Sheludiakov et al., Phys. Rev. B 97, 104108 (2018)2469-995010.1103/PhysRevB.97.104108]. Our observations do not provide evidence for a superfluid behavior of these clusters at temperatures of 0.1-1.3K.