Quantum aspects of low-temperature properties of crystals: A calorimetric
study in interaction with spectroscopy and diffraction
T. Matsuo
Department of Chemistry and Research Center for Molecular
Thermodynamics, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Machikaneyama-cho
1-1, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
Abstract: Some of the molecular and ionic crystals containing
hydrogen undergo phase transitions only when they are deuterated. This
indicates that not only the intermolecular potential energy, but also
the kinetic energy of the nuclei are involved in an essential way in
the mechanisms of the transitions. The quantum effects implied by these
observations are discussed in terms of tunneling of protons and deuterons.
Experimental evidence for deuteration-induced phase transitions and
nuclear tunneling states accumulated by low temperature calorimetry,
far infrared spectroscopy,and neutron diffraction is discussed.
*Plenary lecture presented at the 17th IUPAC Conference
on Chemical Thermodynamics (ICCT), Rostock, Germany, 28 July - 2 August
2002. Other presentations are published in this issue,
pp.859 -936.
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