Evolution of quantum vortices following reconnection

✍ Scribed by Tomasz Lipniacki

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2000
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 236 KB
• Volume: 19
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0997-7546
• DOI: 10.1016/s0997-7546(00)00123-0

✦ Synopsis

The dynamics of quantized vortices, after reconnection, is investigated within the localized induction approximation. The numerical simulations of vortex line evolution help to determine the rate of the line-length changes. In the absence of counterflow, the vortex line shortens after each reconnection and line-length reduction is calculated as a function of the friction parameter α and the reconnection angle φ. In the presence of the counterflow V ns , however, the vortex line shortens at the beginning, but after some time starts to elongate. The summary line-length change of two vortex lines resulting from the reconnection can be well approximated in the form: S = -at 1/2 + bV 2 ns t 3/2 , with a > 0, b 0, at least until S 0. Using this observation, the mechanism of sustaining the quantum turbulence can be explained. After a longer time, reconnection disturbance may initiate a generation of a cascade of vortex loops, so the total length of vortices grows sharply. This shows how quantum turbulence can be generated from a score of remnant vortices.