Cs Preplating of MCM-41 to enhance Helium Confinement

MCM-41, a mesoporous silica with uniform cylindrical nanopores, serves as a model system for investigating quantum fluids under controlled confinement. Previous theoretical work demonstrated that cesium preplating enhances the confinement potential, suggesting weaker binding of helium atoms within the pores. In this study, we experimentally reduce the pore diameter of MCM-41 via controlled cesium evaporation into its channels. Nitrogen adsorption isotherms, analyzed using BET and BJH methods, reveal a decrease in surface area and a shift toward smaller pore diameters, indicating partial pore filling by cesium. This structural modification confirms decreased confinement strength, consistent with theoretical predictions. These findings establish cesium-preplated MCM-41 as a promising platform for realizing one-dimensional helium systems, where enhanced confinement may enable the observation of quantum phenomena such as Luttinger liquid behavior. Ongoing measurements aim to directly probe these effects under strong confinement conditions.