Quantized vortices and normal fluids were the subjects of a numerical investigation by researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University. In view of the exploratory outcomes, scientists chose the most predictable of a few hypothetical models. They tracked down that a model that records for changes in the ordinary liquid and consolidates all the more hypothetically exact common erosion is the most viable with the trial results.
A unique vortex known as a quantized vortex is present in liquid helium-4, which is superfluid at cryogenic temperatures close to absolute zero (-273°C). This vortex is the result of quantum mechanical effects.
The quantized vortex and the normal fluid experience mutual friction when the quantized vortex is in motion in superfluid helium, where the normal fluid exists simultaneously at relatively high temperatures. But it’s hard to say exactly how a quantized vortex interacts with a normal, moving fluid. There have been a number of theoretical models proposed, but it is unclear which one is correct.
“Since I started researching this area 40 years ago, the interaction between a quantized vortex and a regular fluid has been a major puzzle.”
Professor Makoto Tsubota
The numerical interaction between a quantized vortex and a normal fluid was the focus of a group of researchers led by Professor Makoto Tsubota and Specially Appointed Assistant Professor Satoshi Yui from the Graduate School of Science and the Nambu Yoichiro Institute of Theoretical and Experimental Physics, respectively, at Osaka Metropolitan University. They collaborated with colleagues from Keio University and Florida State University.
In view of the exploratory outcomes, scientists settled on the most stable of a few hypothetical models. They discovered that the most compatible model with the experimental results is one that incorporates mutual friction, is more theoretically accurate, and takes into account changes in the normal fluid.
“Since I began my research in this field 40 years ago, the subject of this study, the interaction between a quantized vortex and a normal fluid, has been a great mystery,” stated Professor Tsubota. The brilliant visualization experiment conducted by our collaborators at Florida State University has resulted in a breakthrough thanks to advances in computational technology. This study is a good illustration of how, as is frequently the case in science, subsequent technological advancements have made it possible to elucidate.”
Nature Communications published their findings.
More information: Yuan Tang et al, Imaging quantized vortex rings in superfluid helium to evaluate quantum dissipation, Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38787-w
