Disorder and the elusive superfluid phase of para-hydrogen

The possibility that disorder may stabilize a superfluid phase of parahydrogen in two dimensions is investigated theoretically by means of quantum Monte Carlo simulations. We model disorder using a random distribution of scatterers, and study the thermodynamic behavior of the system as a function of the scatterer density. Disorder gives rise to equilibrium glassy phases with no superfluid properties. Indeed, the propensity for quantum exchanges of hydrogen molecules is reduced even with respect to what is observed if the scatterers are arranged as a regular crystal, a physical setting that also yields no superfluidity.