Study of vortex dynamics in counterflowing helium II

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6056543

Swanson, C E

This study is an exploration of the nature of quantized vortices in counterflowing He II. There are three major parts to this investigation: dimensional analysis of the equations governing vortex motion in He II, a determination of several of the gross features of the tangle of vortex lines, and a comparison of wide channel experiments done for this study with previous narrow channel experiments. Dimensional analysis of the equations of motion for a vortex filament in He II yields a scaling law for the development of a vortex line tangle. The implications of this scaling and the approximations necessary for its validity are discussed. With further approximations, an asymptotic relationship between line density and counterflow velocity is derived, which fits new and existing data remarkably well. This relationship is used to explain the increase in the power law of the Gorter-Mellink relationship between temperature gradient and heat flux near the lambda point. A survey of temperature gradients, axial second sound attenuation, and transverse second sound attenuation produced by counterflow with a range of helium bath temperatures is reported. From these measurements and the use of vortex dynamics the total line density, anisotropy, and average induced drift of the vortex tangle is calculated.

• Research Organization: Oregon Univ., Eugene (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6056543
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640450* -- Fluid Physics-- Superfluidity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ANALYTICAL SOLUTION
ATTENUATION
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
HELIUM 4
HELIUM II
HELIUM ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
QUANTIZATION
QUANTUM FLUIDS
SCALING LAWS
SECOND SOUND
STABLE ISOTOPES
TEMPERATURE GRADIENTS
VORTEX FLOW