Vortex pinning and the decay of persistent currents in unsaturated superfluid helium films

Journal Article · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982 · Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.25.136· OSTI ID:5839610

Browne, D A; Doniach, S

We investigate the role played by vortex pinning in modifying the predictions of the Kosterlitz-Thouless theory for thin helium films. We extend the analysis of Huberman, Myerson, and Doniach and of Ambegaokar et al. to include vortex pinning. We find that the presence of surface roughness can give rise to pinning sites and that the presence of the sites can modify the predictions of the above authors for the decay of persistent currents. We test these modifications by fitting our formulas to the data of Ekholm and Hallock, and find that the fits are much improved over the fits done without taking into account the effects of pinning.

• Research Organization: Departments of Physics and Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94025
• OSTI ID: 5839610
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States) Vol. 25:1; ISSN PRBMD
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640450* -- Fluid Physics-- Superfluidity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CURRENTS
DECAY
ELEMENTS
FILMS
FLUIDS
FUNCTIONS
GASES
HELIUM
NONMETALS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RARE GASES
SUPERFLUIDITY
VORTICES
WAVE FUNCTIONS