Shear flow and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in superfluids
Condensed Matter
2009-11-07 v2 General Relativity and Quantum Cosmology
High Energy Physics - Phenomenology
Fluid Dynamics
Quantum Physics
Abstract
The first realization of instabilities in the shear flow between two superfluids is examined. The interface separating the A and B phases of superfluid He-3 is magnetically stabilized. With uniform rotation we create a state with discontinuous tangential velocities at the interface, supported by the difference in quantized vorticity in the two phases. This state remains stable and nondissipative to high relative velocities, but finally undergoes an instability when an interfacial mode is excited and some vortices cross the phase boundary. The measured properties of the instability are consistent with a modified Kelvin-Helmholtz theory.
Cite
@article{arxiv.cond-mat/0111343,
title = {Shear flow and Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in superfluids},
author = {R. Blaauwgeers and V. B. Eltsov and G. Eska and A. P. Finne and R. P. Haley and M. Krusius and J. J. Ruohio and L. Skrbek and G. E. Volovik},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:cond-mat/0111343},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
5 pages, 4 figures, version submitted to PRL