Vortex patterns and energies in a rotating superfluid

Journal Article · Sat Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979 · Phys. Rev., B: Condens. Matter; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.20.1886· OSTI ID:5815427

Campbell, L J; Ziff, R M

The two-dimensional vortex patterns that occur in a rotating cylinder of superfluid /sup 4/He are systematically ordered for numbers of vortices N=1,2,...,30,37,50 using a prescription for their free energy that is independent of angular velocity and is based upon the justified omission of images. Barrier energies between patterns of the same N and of neighboring N are discussed. A new derivation of the vortex free energy for perfect square and triangular lattices gives the result in terms of GAMMA (x). Patterns that are expected to display high triangular symmetry are studied up to N=217, but circular distortion strongly reduces the region of triangular symmetry even in an unbounded fluid, as shown by the scattering structure factor. According to calculations on arrays containing over one-million vortices, the destabilizing velocity at the vortex position R in a finite circular region of a perfect triangular lattice is proportional to (R/R/sub 0/)/sup 5/, where R/sub 0/ is the radius of the circular region.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, New Mexico 87545
• OSTI ID: 5815427
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev., B: Condens. Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev., B: Condens. Matter; (United States) Vol. 20:5; ISSN PRBMD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640450* -- Fluid Physics-- Superfluidity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ENERGY
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
FREE ENERGY
HELIUM 4
HELIUM II
HELIUM ISOTOPES
INSTABILITY
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MOTION
NUCLEI
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
QUANTUM FLUIDS
ROTATION
STABLE ISOTOPES
SUPERFLUIDITY
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES
VORTEX FLOW