Phase slip and turbulence in superfluid sup 4 He: A vortex mill that works

Journal Article · Mon Mar 05 04:00:00 EST 1990 · Physical Review Letters; (USA)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.64.1130· OSTI ID:6916496

Schwarz, K W ^[1]

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1. IBM Research Division, Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598 (USA)

It is shown that the superfluid turbulence arises as a convective, not an absolute, instability. A continuous source of macroscopic quantized vortices is therefore required, not only to initiate the turbulence, but also to keep the vortex tangle alive. It is demonstrated that a streamwise-pinned, remanent vortex at the channel inlet can act as the fluid dynamical analog of a phase-slip center, injecting vortex filaments into the flow at a steady rate. Several such vortex mills in tandem are sufficient to initiate and sustain the turbulent state.

• OSTI ID: 6916496
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters; (USA), Journal Name: Physical Review Letters; (USA) Vol. 64:10; ISSN PRLTA; ISSN 0031-9007
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

640450* -- Fluid Physics-- Superfluidity
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CONFIGURATION
CONVECTIVE INSTABILITIES
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
GEOMETRY
HELICAL CONFIGURATION
HELIUM 4
HELIUM ISOTOPES
INSTABILITY
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MATHEMATICS
NUCLEI
PHASE STUDIES
PLASMA INSTABILITY
QUANTIZATION
SPIRAL CONFIGURATION
STABLE ISOTOPES
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
SUPERFLUIDITY
TURBULENCE
VELOCITY
VORTICES