Quantum vortex reconnections
Abstract
We study reconnections of quantum vortices by numerically solving the governing Gross-Pitaevskii equation. We find that the minimum distance between vortices scales differently with time before and after the vortex reconnection. We also compute vortex reconnections using the Biot-Savart law for vortex filaments of infinitesimal thickness, and find that, in this model, reconnection are time-symmetric. We argue that the likely cause of the difference between the Gross-Pitaevskii model and the Biot-Savart model is the intense rarefaction wave which is radiated away from a Gross-Pitaeveskii reconnection. Finally we compare our results to experimental observations in superfluid helium, and discuss the different length scales probed by the two models and by experiments.
Cite
@article{arxiv.1206.2498,
title = {Quantum vortex reconnections},
author = {S. Zuccher and M. Caliari and A. W. Baggaley and C. F. Barenghi},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1206.2498},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
23 Pages, 12 Figures