ABSTRACT We theoretically study the line density of quantum vortices in a superfluid turbulent wake based on the conjecture of quantum turbulence of a pure superfluid in the zero temperature limit. The conjecture states that a collection of many quantum vortices can mimic a classical eddy in the continuum approximation. By straightforwardly relating the Kolmogorov's similarity to this conjecture, we can estimate that the effective viscosity of a pure superfluid turbulence is comparable to the circulation quantum , the minimum circulation of quantum vortices. This result naturally leads to a definition of the superfluid Reynolds number, with the characteristic size and velocity , supported by the fact that the equation of motion of a pure superfluid reduces to the Euler equation for high . By using the classical description of the rate of energy injection or dissipation, we quantitatively evaluate a characteristic density of vortex lines in a superfluid turbulent wake and its spatial profile of grid turbulence in terms of the superfluid Reynolds number.
ABSTRACT We theoretically study the line density of quantum vortices in a superfluid turbulent wake based on the conjecture of quantum turbulence of a pure superfluid in the zero temperature limit. The conjecture states that a collection of many quantum vortices can mimic a classical eddy in the continuum approximation. By straightforwardly relating the Kolmogorov's similarity to this conjecture, we can estimate that the effective viscosity of a pure superfluid turbulence is comparable to the circulation quantum , the minimum circulation of quantum vortices. This result naturally leads to a definition of the superfluid Reynolds number, with the characteristic size and velocity , supported by the fact that the equation of motion of a pure superfluid reduces to the Euler equation for high . By using the classical description of the rate of energy injection or dissipation, we quantitatively evaluate a characteristic density of vortex lines in a superfluid turbulent wake and its spatial profile of grid turbulence in terms of the superfluid Reynolds number.
The typical spacing between superfluid vortices in an isothermal turbulent tangle is proportional to the integral scale H rescaled by the quantum Reynolds number Re_K=H.V/K to the power of 3/4, where K is the quantum of circulation around of single vortex [Salort et al.,EPL 2011]. This empirical relation can be seen as the quantum-turbulence version of the corresponding well-know equation giving Kolmogorov dissipative scale in classical turbulence. In 2014, we studied the temperature dependence of the numerical factor (d/H).Re_K^{3/4} in 4He by joint numerical and experimental analysis of steady state turbulence over a wide temperature interval (1.2 - 2.16 K) [Babuin et al., EPL 2014]. Agreement between the two analyses was found good except at the very ends of this temperature interval. We will discuss this issue by presenting additional experimental data obtained by post-processing of superfluid experiments published between 1975 and 1998.
Turbulence, the irregular motion of fluids, is a challenging problem in physics. Yet some properties of turbulence appear to be universal, independent of the underlying host fluid supporting the motion. Recent studies have found that turbulence in superfluid helium, a quantum fluid, exhibits two of the most fundamental laws of classical fluid turbulence: the Kolmogorov −5/3 law, and the dissipation anomaly. These laws appear despite the fluid being highly constrained by quantum mechanical effects, and completely lacking kinematic viscosity. Such findings suggest further insight into the universal features of turbulent phenomena can be gained by studying analogies between classical and quantum turbulence.\nAtomic Bose-Einstein condensates (BECs) offer a new platform for the study of quantum turbulence; the geometric control available in BEC experiments offers the possibility of studying quantum turbulence in effectively two-dimensional fluids. As two-dimensional turbulence exhibits dramatically different features from its 3D counterpart, BEC systems allow for further study of the analogies between classical and quantum turbulence. In this thesis we numerically and theoretically study 2D quantum turbulence in BECs within the framework of the Gross-Pitaevskii model. We focus on analogies with classical 2D turbulence, with the aim of identifying common or universal features.\nFirst we investigate coherent vortex structures in negative temperature equilibria via an experimentally accessible flow-field measure. Coherent vortices are shown to produce a clear signal in this measure that is independent of the confinement geometry, and we demonstrate that it can be observed in dynamical simulations.\nSecond, studying a quantum analogue of the two-dimensional cylinder wake, we investigate the phenomenon of Strouhal oscillations. We find that the Strouhal number obeys a universal relation, similar to the classical form, upon introducing a modified superfluid Reynolds number that accounts for the critical velocity for vortex nucleation. Like the classical Reynolds number, the superfluid Reynolds number is found to govern the transition from laminar to turbulent behaviour in the quantum fluid.\nFinally, simulating decaying 2D quantum turbulence for very large vortex numbers, we show that quantum fluids are capable of supporting the direct enstrophy cascade, a fundamental feature of two-dimensional turbulent flows. The quantum fluid manifests key features of the classical cascade, including Batchelor’s −3 law of the inertial range, scaling of the inertial range against the superfluid Reynolds number, and the value of the Kraichnan-Batchelor constant.\nThe findings from this work thus provide some new insight into the universality of fundamental turbulence concepts, and their applicability to quantum fluids.
We argue that turbulence in superfluids is governed by two dimensionless parameters. One of them is the intrinsic parameter q which characterizes the friction forces acting on a vortex moving with respect to the heat bath, with q −1 playing the same role as the Reynolds number Re= UR/ν in classical hydrodynamics. It marks the transition between the “laminar” and turbulent regimes of vortex dynamics. The developed turbulence described by Kolmogorov cascade occurs when Re≫1 in classical hydrodynamics, and q ≪1 in superfluid hydrodynamics. Another parameter of superfluid turbulence is the superfluid Reynolds number Re s = UR/κ , which contains the circulation quantum κ characterizing quantized vorticity in superfluids. This parameter may regulate the crossover or transition between two classes of superfluid turbulence: (i) the classical regime of Kolmogorov cascade where vortices are locally polarized and the quantization of vorticity is not important; (ii) the quantum Vinen turbulence whose properties are determined by the quantization of vorticity. A phase diagram of the dynamical vortex states is suggested.
The idea that chaotic set of quantum vortices can mimic classical turbulence, or at least reproduce many main features, is currently actively being developed. Appreciating significance of the challenging problem of the classical turbulence it can be expressed that the idea to study it in terms of quantized line is indeed very important and may be regarded as a breakthrough. For this reason, this theory should be carefully scrutinized. One of the basic arguments supporting this point of view is the fact that vortex tangle decays at zero temperature, when the apparent mechanism of dissipation (mutual friction) is absent. Since the all possible mechanisms of dissipation of the vortex energy, discussed in the literature, are related to the small scales, it is natural to suggest that the Kolmogorov cascade takes the place with the flow of the energy, just as in the classical turbulence. In a series of recent experiment attenuation of vortex line density was observed and authors attribute this decay to the properties of the Kolmogorov turbulence. In the present work we discuss alternative possibility of decay of the vortex tangle, which is not related to dissipation at small scales. This mechanism is just the diffusive like spreading of the vortex tangle. We discuss a number of the key experiments, considering them both from the point of view of alternative explanation and of the theory of Kolmogorov turbulence in quantum fluids.
We consider superfluid turbulence near absolute zero of temperature generated by classical means, e.g., towed grid or rotation but not by counterflow. We argue that such turbulence consists of a polarized tangle of mutually interacting vortex filaments with quantized vorticity. For this system, we predict and describe a bottleneck accumulation of the energy spectrum at the classical-quantum crossover scale $\ensuremath{\ell}$. Demanding the same energy flux through scales, the value of the energy at the crossover scale should exceed the Kolmogorov-41 (K41) spectrum by a large factor ${\mathrm{ln}}^{10∕3}(\ensuremath{\ell}∕{a}_{0})$ ($\ensuremath{\ell}$ is the mean intervortex distance and a0 is the vortex core radius) for the classical and quantum spectra to be matched in value. One of the important consequences of the bottleneck is that it causes the mean vortex line density to be considerably higher than that based on K41 alone, and this should be taken into account in (re)interpretation of new (and old) experiments as well as in further theoretical studies.
In a recent experiment, Finne et al. discovered an intrinsic condition for the onset of quantum turbulence in 3 He-B, that q = α/(1 − α') < 1.3, where α and α' are mutual friction parameters. The authors put forward a qualitative argument that q is the ratio of dissipative and inertial forces on the superfluid, so for q < 1 inertial forces should overcome the dissipative forces and cause turbulence. Thus 1/ q would play, for a quantum fluid, the same role played in classical fluid dynamics by the Reynolds number (the ratio of inertial forces and dissipative forces in the Navier-Stokes equation). The aim of this work is to supplement this qualitative condition q = 1 with a quantitative calculation. By analysing both axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric modes of a continuum of vortices in a rotating superfluid, we find that in the long axial wavelength limit the condition q = 1 is the crossover between damped and propagating Kelvin waves; thus, for q > 1, perturbations on the vortices are unlikely to cause vortex reconnections and turbulence. Besides the relevance to the experiment of Finne et al. , the spectrum of oscillations which we find is relevant to the study of torsional oscillations of a rotating superfluid and generalises to three dimensions the spectrum of Kelvin waves on an isolated vortex line.