5 research outputs found
Coexistence of Single and Double-Quantum Vortex Lines
We discuss the configurations in which singly and doubly quantized vortex
lines may coexist in a rotating superfluid. General principles of energy
minimization lead to the conclusion that in equilibrium the two vortex species
segregate within a cylindrical vortex cluster in two coaxial domains where the
singly quantized lines are in the outer annular region. This is confirmed with
simulation calculations on discrete vortex lines. Experimentally the
coexistence can be studied in rotating superfluid He-A. With cw NMR
techniques we find the radial distribution of the two vortex species to depend
on how the cluster is prepared: (i) By cooling through in rotation,
coexistence in the minimum energy configuration is confirmed. (ii) A glassy
agglomerate is formed if one starts with an equilibrium cluster of
single-quantum vortex lines and adds to it sequentially double-quantum lines,
by increasing the rotation velocity in the superfluid state. This proves that
the energy barriers, which separate different cluster configurations, are too
high for metastabilities to anneal.Comment: 12 pages, 11 figures; Changed content, 15 pages, 14 figure
Rotating inclined cylinder and the effect of the tilt angle on vortices
We study numerically some possible vortex configurations in a rotating
cylinder that is tilted with respect to the rotation axis and where different
numbers of vortices can be present at given rotation velocity. In a long
cylinder at small tilt angles the vortices tend to align along the cylinder
axis and not along the rotation axis. We also show that the axial flow along
the cylinder axis, caused by the tilt, will result in the Ostermeier-Glaberson
instability above some critical tilt angle. When the vortices become unstable
the final state often appears to be a dynamical steady state, which may contain
turbulent regions where new vortices are constantly created. These new vortices
push other vortices in regions with laminar flow towards the top and bottom
ends of the cylinder where they finally annihilate. Experimentally the inclined
cylinder could be a convenient environment to create long lasting turbulence
with a polarization which can be adjusted with the tilt angle.Comment: 10 pages, 10 figure
The dynamics of vortex generation in superfluid 3He-B
A profound change occurs in the stability of quantized vortices in externally
applied flow of superfluid 3He-B at temperatures ~ 0.6 Tc, owing to the rapidly
decreasing damping in vortex motion with decreasing temperature. At low damping
an evolving vortex may become unstable and generate a new independent vortex
loop. This single-vortex instability is the generic precursor to turbulence. We
investigate the instability with non-invasive NMR measurements on a rotating
cylindrical sample in the intermediate temperature regime (0.3 - 0.6) Tc. From
comparisons with numerical calculations we interpret that the instability
occurs at the container wall, when the vortex end moves along the wall in
applied flow.Comment: revised & extended version. Journal of Low Temperature Physics,
accepted (2008