Oscillatory convective instability in a superfluid /sup 3/He-/sup 4/He mixture

Journal Article · Sun Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1981 · Phys. Rev. A; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.24.2584· OSTI ID:6006593

Steinberg, V

The linear stability analysis of a superfluid mixture subject to a vertical temperature gradient is presented. The main result obtained in this paper is the existence of an oscillatory instability in a superfluid mixture heated only from below. The criteria for onset of oscillatory instability and the corresponding neutral frequencies in a superfluid region of the /sup 3/He-/sup 4/He phase diagram are treated. Depending on the magnitude of dissipation of superfluid motion, two different types of overstabilities exist. These have different physical origins. In the case of large dissipation of superfluid motion the oscillatory criterion and the neutral frequency are similar to those in a regular binary mixture with large abnormal thermal diffusion. In the case of small dissipation of superfluid motion a fundamentally new type of oscillatory convective instability is predicted. This instability is actually the undamped standing second-sound waves. We believe it should be possible to observe the predicted effect in the vicinity of the tricritical point.

• Research Organization: Department of Physics, University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106
• OSTI ID: 6006593
• Journal Information: Phys. Rev. A; (United States), Journal Name: Phys. Rev. A; (United States) Vol. 24:5; ISSN PLRAA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640450* -- Fluid Physics-- Superfluidity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CONVECTIVE INSTABILITIES
DISPERSIONS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
EVEN-ODD NUCLEI
HELIUM 3
HELIUM 4
HELIUM ISOTOPES
INSTABILITY
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MIXTURES
NUCLEI
PLASMA INSTABILITY
STABILITY
STABLE ISOTOPES
SUPERFLUIDITY