The energy of a dislocation loop in a continuum elastic solid under pressure is considered within the framework of classical mechanics. For a circular loop, this is a function with a maximum at pressures that are well within reach of experimental conditions for solid helium, suggesting, in this case, that dislocation loops can be generated by a pressure-assisted thermally activated process. It is also pointed out that pinned dislocation segments can alter the shear response of solid helium by an amount consistent with current measurements, without any unpinning.

• Received 23 January 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.85.064103