Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Dynamics of vortex nucleation in sup 3 He- A flow

Journal Article · · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States)
; ;  [1]
  1. Low Temperature Laboratory, Helsinki University of Technology, SF-02150 Espoo (Finland)

Quantum phase slippage in superfluid {sup 3}He flow is simulated numerically in rectangular slab geometries. Assuming that the flow is confined to a channel having horizontal surfaces close to each other, the spatial problem reduces to the two transverse dimensions; we report time-dependent computer simulations of superfluid {sup 3}He flow in 2+1 dimensions using the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equations. The quantum-dynamic processes of phase slippage in {sup 3}He are demonstrated to be associated with superfluid vortex nucleation; we thus confirm Anderson's assumption for phase slippage through vortex motion in superfluids. We also find several other phase-slip scenarios involving vortices, phase-slip lines, and combinations thereof for the coupled multicomponent order-parameter amplitudes. We consider both diffuse and specular boundary conditions at the side walls and demonstrate that our results are essentially independent of the boundaries. We compute the critical current for vortex nucleation as a function of the channel width, and compare it with existing theories of vortex nucleation; we also discuss our calculations in connection with experiments on phase slippage in {sup 3}He flow. One of our most important results is that the superfluid order parameter for the vortices generated in the computer simulations does not vanish anywhere; i.e., the vortices possess superfluid core structures; hence the processes of phase slip for superfluid {sup 3}He are nonlocal in space-time.

OSTI ID:
7234087
Journal Information:
Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States), Journal Name: Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (United States) Vol. 45:10; ISSN PRBMD; ISSN 0163-1829
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

Similar Records

Superfluid phase slippage in sup 3 He flow through a narrow channel
Journal Article · Wed Jan 31 23:00:00 EST 1990 · Physical Review, B: Condensed Matter; (USA) · OSTI ID:6955414

Symmetry and structure of quantized vortices in superfluid /sup 3/He-B
Journal Article · Mon Dec 31 23:00:00 EST 1984 · Phys. Rev. B: Condens. Matter; (United States) · OSTI ID:6212441

Dynamics of vortex nucleation by rapid thermal quench
Journal Article · Tue May 01 00:00:00 EDT 2001 · Physical Review B · OSTI ID:40205589