Helicity - a quadratic invariant of the classical Euler equation like the energy - plays a fundamental role in turbulent flows, controlling the strength of the nonlinear interactions which cascade energy to smaller length scales. The growing interest in turbulent superfluid liquid helium, a disordered state of quantum matter consisting of a tangle of vortex lines - triggers a natural question: what is superfluid helicity ? The most used model of superfluid vortex lines is based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for a weakly interacting Bose gas. In this mean field model, unfortunately, helicity is ill-defined, as vorticity and velocity are singular on the centerline of the vortex. Here we show that by taking into account more realistic features of the vortex core arising from N-body quantum mechanics simulations, which account for the stronger atom interactions occurring in a liquid, the classical definition of helicity can be extended to superfluid helium. We also present results of numerical experiments which reveal the role and physical meaning of helicity in superfluid turbulence.
Helicity - a quadratic invariant of the classical Euler equation like the energy - plays a fundamental role in turbulent flows, controlling the strength of the nonlinear interactions which cascade energy to smaller length scales. The growing interest in turbulent superfluid liquid helium, a disordered state of quantum matter consisting of a tangle of vortex lines - triggers a natural question: what is superfluid helicity ? The most used model of superfluid vortex lines is based on the Gross-Pitaevskii equation for a weakly interacting Bose gas. In this mean field model, unfortunately, helicity is ill-defined, as vorticity and velocity are singular on the centerline of the vortex. Here we show that by taking into account more realistic features of the vortex core arising from N-body quantum mechanics simulations, which account for the stronger atom interactions occurring in a liquid, the classical definition of helicity can be extended to superfluid helium. We also present results of numerical experiments which reveal the role and physical meaning of helicity in superfluid turbulence.
Helicity is a topological invariant that measures the linkage and knottedness of lines, tubes, and ribbons. As such, it has found myriads of applications in astrophysics, fluid dynamics, atmospheric sciences, and biology. In quantum flows, where topology-changing reconnection events are a staple, helicity appears as a key quantity to study. However, the usual definition of helicity is not well posed in quantum vortices, and its computation based on counting links and crossings of centerline vorticity can be downright impossible to apply in complex and turbulent scenarios. We present a definition of helicity which overcomes these problems and which gives the expected result in the large-scale limit. With it, we show that certain reconnection events can excite Kelvin waves and other complex motions of the centerline vorticity, which slowly deplete helicity as they interact nonlinearly, thus linking the theory of vortex knots with observations of quantum fluids. This process also results in the depletion of helicity in a fully turbulent quantum flow, in a way reminiscent of the decay of helicity in classical fluids.
Abstract Chapter 5 delves into quantum turbulence in superfluid helium and atomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs). The foundation of quantum turbulence research lies in classical fluid dynamics and turbulence, which is why we begin by covering essential concepts like the Reynolds number and Kolmogorov’s -5/3 power law in the energy spectrum. These principles are crucial for understanding quantum turbulence. We then explore the shared aspects of quantum turbulence in superfluid helium and atomic BECs, such as the differences in vortex configurations compared to classical turbulence, energy spectra, cascades, and the distinction between quasiclassical (Kolmogorov) and ultraquantum (Vinen) turbulence, focusing on their decay behaviors. In superfluid helium, we emphasize experimental studies in thermal counterflow and numerical simulations using the Vortex Filament Model (VFM). The advent of visualization experiments in the mid-2000s was transformative, allowing the observation of normal fluid velocity profiles and accelerations via tracer particles, which led to more accurate simulations coupling the VFM with normal fluid dynamics. Another significant topic is the energy spectrum of quantum turbulence, and whether it mirrors classical turbulence remains a key question. In addition to thermal counterflow, localized quantum turbulence generated by oscillating objects has been a major area of study. We present research showing how quantized vortices grow and evolve into turbulence. Superfluid 3He-B also provides a platform for quantum turbulence, with advancements in microfabrication bringing MEMS and NEMS into focus for studying quantum hydrodynamics at micro- and nanoscale, influenced by boundary conditions. In atomic BECs, confined by potentials, turbulence is induced through techniques like shaking or moving potentials. A unique aspect of BECs is two-dimensional quantum turbulence, featuring inverse energy cascades, Onsager vortices, and negative temperature states. Finally, atomic BECs, being compressible, serve as a platform for both vortex and wave turbulence. Multicomponent BECs, such as spinor BECs, introduce spin turbulence, further diversifying the field.
The detailed understanding of the intricate dynamics of quantum fluids, in particular in the rapidly growing subfield of quantum turbulence which elucidates the evolution of a vortex tangle in a superfluid, requires an in-depth understanding of the role of finite temperature in such systems. The Landau two-fluid model is the most successful hydrodynamical theory of superfluid helium, but by the nature of the scale separations it cannot give an adequate description of the processes involving vortex dynamics and interactions. In our contribution we introduce a framework based on a nonlinear classical-field equation that is mathematically identical to the Landau model and provides a mechanism for severing and coalescence of vortex lines, so that the questions related to the behavior of quantized vortices can be addressed self-consistently. The correct equation of state as well as nonlocality of interactions that leads to the existence of the roton minimum can also be introduced in such description. We review and apply the ideas developed for finite-temperature description of weakly interacting Bose gases as possible extensions and numerical refinements of the proposed method. We apply this method to elucidate the behavior of the vortices during expansion and contraction following the change in applied pressure. We show that at low temperatures, during the contraction of the vortex core as the negative pressure grows back to positive values, the vortex line density grows through a mechanism of vortex multiplication. This mechanism is suppressed at high temperatures.
Quantum vortices are pivotal for understanding of phenomena in quantum hydrodynamics. Vortices were observed in different physical systems like trapped dilute Bose-Einstein condensates, liquid helium, exciton-polariton condensates and other types of systems. Foreign particles attached to the vortices often serve for a visualization of the vortex shape and kinematics in superfluid experiments. Fascinating discoveries were made in the field of cold quantum mixtures, where vortices created in one component may interact with the other component. This works raise the fundamental question of the interaction between quantum vortices and matter. The generalized nonlinear Schrodinger equation based formalism is applied here to model three different processes involving the interaction of quantum vortices with foreign particles: propagation of a fast classical particle in a superfluid under the influence of sound waves, scattering of a single fermion by a quantized vortex line and dynamics of vortex pairs doped with heavy bosonic matter. The obtained results allow to to clarify the details of recent experiments and acquire a better understanding of the multicomponent quantum turbulence.
Fluid turbulence remains an open problem in contemporary physics. In gases or liquids encountered in daily life, turbulence is comprised of swirling vortices of varying sizes, shapes and strengths. The impossibility of making detailed predictions of turbulent flows comes, in part, from the complicated nature of these vortices. Turbulence in quantum mechanical superfluids, on the other hand, is comparatively simple. When stirred, a superfluid produces well-defined, discretised vortex lines, and hence turbulence in these fluids is much more straightforward to interpret. As such, there is hope that the study of vortices in superfluids may hold the key to unlocking the mysteries of turbulence.