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Superfluid Boundary Layer

G. W. Stagg, N. G. Parker, and C. F. Barenghi
Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 135301 – Published 28 March 2017
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Abstract

We model the superfluid flow of liquid helium over the rough surface of a wire (used to experimentally generate turbulence) profiled by atomic force microscopy. Numerical simulations of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation reveal that the sharpest features in the surface induce vortex nucleation both intrinsically (due to the raised local fluid velocity) and extrinsically (providing pinning sites to vortex lines aligned with the flow). Vortex interactions and reconnections contribute to form a dense turbulent layer of vortices with a nonclassical average velocity profile which continually sheds small vortex rings into the bulk. We characterize this layer for various imposed flows. As boundary layers conventionally arise from viscous forces, this result opens up new insight into the nature of superflows.

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  • Received 3 March 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.135301

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article’s title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Synopsis

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Superfluid Storm at a Surface

Published 28 March 2017

Numerical simulations indicate that boundary layers, normally the preserve of conventional fluids flowing past solid surfaces, can also arise in superfluids.  

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Authors & Affiliations

G. W. Stagg*, N. G. Parker, and C. F. Barenghi

  • Joint Quantum Centre (JQC) Durham-Newcastle, School of Mathematics and Statistics, Newcastle University, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 7RU, United Kingdom

  • *george.stagg@newcastle.ac.uk

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Issue

Vol. 118, Iss. 13 — 31 March 2017

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