Propagation of Shear in a Two-Dimensional Electron Solid

Abstract

Shear waves are shown to propagate in the two-dimensional electron solid on liquid helium. Their velocity and damping are measured and used to deduce the shear components of the viscoelastic tensor up to melting. A linear temperature variation at low temperatures contrasts with the premelting region, where the sharper renormalization of the elastic component is accompanied by a very rapid increase in the viscous component.