We performed the numerical simulation of quantum turbulence produced by thermal counterflow in superfluid $^{4}${\rm He} by using the vortex filament model. The pioneering work was made by Schwarz, which has two defects. One is neglecting non-local terms of the Biot-Savart integral (localized induction approximation, LIA), and the other is the unphysical mixing procedure in order to sustain the statistically steady state of turbulence. We succeeded in making the statistically steady state without the LIA and the mixing. This state shows the characteristic relation $L=γ^2 v_{ns}^2$ between the line-length-density $L$ and the counterflow relative velocity $v_{ns}$ with the quantitative agreement of the coefficient $γ$ with some typical observations. We compare our numerical results to the observation of experiment by Paoletti {\it et al}, where thermal couterflow was visualized by solid hydrogen particles.
We investigate the velocity statistics by calculating the Biot--Savart velocity induced by vortex filaments in steady counterflow turbulence investigated in a previous study [Phys. Rev. B {\bf 81}, 104511 (2010)]. The probability density function (PDF) obeys a Gaussian distribution in the low-velocity region and a power-law distribution $v^{-3}$ in the high-velocity region. This transition between the two distributions occur at the velocity characterized by the mean inter-vortex distance. Counterflow turbulence causes anisotropy of the vortex tangle, which leads to a difference in the PDF for …
An equation previously proposed to describe the evolution of vortex line density in rotating counterflow turbulent tangles in superfluid helium is generalized to incorporate nonvanishing barycentric velocity and velocity gradients. Our generalization is compared with an analogous approach proposed by Lipniacki, and with experimental results by Swanson et al. in rotating counterflow, and it is used to evaluate the vortex density in plane Couette and Poiseuille flows of superfluid helium.
We report on a combined theoretical and numerical study of counterflow turbulence in superfluid $^{4}$He in a wide range of parameters. The energy spectra of the velocity fluctuations of both the normal-fluid and superfluid components are strongly anisotropic. The angular dependence of the correlation between velocity fluctuations of the two components plays the key role. A selective energy dissipation intensifies as scales decrease, with the streamwise velocity fluctuations becoming dominant. Most of the flow energy is concentrated in a wavevector plane which is orthogonal to the direction of…
We report complementary experimental, numerical and theoretical study of turbulent coflow, counterflow and pure superflow of superfluid He-4 in a channel, resulting in a physically transparent and relatively simple model of decaying quantum turbulence that accounts for interactions of coexisting quantum and classical components of turbulent superfluid He-. We further offer an analytical theory of the energy spectra of steady-state quantum turbulence in the counterflow and pure superflow, based on algebraic approximation for the energy fluxes over scales. The resulting spectra are not of the cl…
Two alternative Vinen's evolution equations for the vortex line density L in counterflow superfluid turbulence, are physically admissible and lead to analogous results in steady states. In Phys. Rev. B, 69, 094513 (2004) the most used of them was generalized to counterflow superfluid turbulence in rotating containers. Here, the analogous generalization for the alternative Vinen's equation is proposed. Both generalized Vinen's equations are compared with the experimental results, not only in steady-states but also in some unsteady situations. From this analysis follows that the solutions of the…
The interaction between vortex density waves and high-frequency second sound in counterflow superfluid turbulence is examined, incorporating diffusive and elastic contributions of the vortex tangle. The analysis is based on a set of evolution equations for the energy density, the heat flux, the vortex line density, and the vortex flux, the latter being considered here as an independent variable, in contrast to previous works. The latter feature is crucial in the transition from diffusive to propagative behavior of vortex density perturbations, which is necessary to interpret the details of hig…
In the thermally driven superfluid He-4 turbulence, the counterflow velocity $U_{\rm ns}$ partially decouples the normal and superfluid turbulent velocities. Recently we suggested [J. Low Temp. Phys. 187, 497 (2017)] that this decoupling should tremendously increase the turbulent energy dissipation by mutual friction and significantly suppress the energy spectra. Comprehensive measurements of the apparent scaling exponent nexp of the 2nd-order normal fluid velocity structure function $S_2(r)\propto r^{n_{\rm exp}}$ in the counterflow turbulence [Phys.Rev.B 96, 094511 (2017)] confirmed our scen…
In two previous papers two evolution equations for the vortex line density $L$, proposed by Vinen, were generalized to rotating superfluid turbulence and compared with each other. Here, the already generalized alternative Vinen equation is extended to the case in which counterflow and rotation are not collinear. Then, the obtained equation is considered from the viewpoint of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. According with this formalism, the compatibility between this evolution equation for $L$ and that one for the velocity of the superfluid component is studied. The compatibility condition req…
Describing superfluid turbulence at intermediate scales between the inter-vortex distance and the macroscale requires an acceptable equation of motion for the density of quantized vortex lines $\cal{L}$. The closure of such an equation for superfluid inhomogeneous flows requires additional inputs besides $\cal{L}$ and the normal and superfluid velocity fields. In this paper we offer a minimal closure using one additional anisotropy parameter $I_{l0}$. Using the example of counterflow superfluid turbulence we derive two coupled closure equations for the vortex line density and the anisotropy pa…
We perform a numerical simulation of quantum turbulence produced by thermal counterflow in superfluid $^4$He by using the vortex filament model with the full Biot--Savart law. The pioneering work of Schwarz has two shortcomings: it neglects the non-local terms of the Biot--Savart integral (known as the localized induction approximation, LIA) and it employs an unphysical mixing procedure to sustain the statistically steady state of turbulence. For the first time we have succeeded in generating the statistically steady state under periodic boundary conditions without using the LIA or the mixing …
Three-dimensional anisotropic turbulence in classical fluids tends towards isotropy and homogeneity with decreasing scales, allowing --eventually-- the abstract model of "isotropic homogeneous turbulence" to be relevant. We show here that the opposite is true for superfluid $^4$He turbulence in 3-dimensional counterflow channel geometry. This flow becomes less isotropic upon decreasing scales, becoming eventually quasi 2-dimensional. The physical reason for this unusual phenomenon is elucidated and supported by theory and simulations.
We report preliminary results of the complementary experimental and numerical studies on spatiotemporal tangle development and streamwise vortex line density (VLD) distribution in counterflowing $^4$He. The experiment is set up in a long square channel with VLD and local temperature measured in three streamwise locations. In the steady state we observe nearly streamwise-homogeneous VLD. Experimental second sound data as well as numerical data (vortex filament method in a long planar channel starting with seeding vortices localized in multiple locations) show that the initial build up pattern o…
We have developed a two-dimensional model of quantised vortices in helium II moving under the influence of applied normal fluid and superfluid in a counterflow channel. We predict superfluid and vortex-line density profiles which could be experimentally tested using recently developed visualization techniques.
We are concerned with the problem of the decay of a tangle of quantized vortices in He II generated by a heat current. Direct application of Vinen's equation yields the temporal scaling of vortex line density $L \sim t^{-1}$. Schwarz and Rozen [Phys. Rev. Lett. {\bf 66}, 1898 (1991); Phys. Rev. B {\bf 44}, 7563 (1991)] observed a faster decay followed by a slower decay. More recently, Skrbek and collaborators [Phys. Rev. E {\bf 67}, 047302 (2003)] found an initial transient followed by the same classical $t^{-3/2}$ scaling observed in the decay of grid-generated turbulence. We present a simple…
Finite-temperature quantum turbulence is often described in terms of two immiscible fluids that can flow with a non-zero mean relative velocity. Such out-of-equilibrium state is known as counterflow superfluid turbulence. We report here the emergence of a counterflow-induced inverse energy cascade in three-dimensional superfluid flows by performing extensive numerical simulations of the Hall-Vinen-Bekarevich-Khalatnikov model. As the intensity of the mean counterflow is increased, an abrupt transition, from a fully three-dimensional turbulent flow to a quasi two-dimensional system exhibiting a…
We report a detailed analysis of the energy spectra, second- and high-order structure functions of velocity differences in superfluid $^4$He counterflow turbulence, measured in a wide range of temperatures and heat fluxes. We show that the one-dimensional energy spectrum $E_{xz} (k_y)$ (averaged over the $xz$-plane, parallel to the channel wall), directly measured as a function of the wall-normal wave-vector $k_y$, gives more detailed information on the energy distribution over scales than the corresponding second-order structure function $S_{2}(δ_y)$. In particular, we discover two intervals …
Particles are today the main tool to study superfluid turbulence and visualize quantum vortices. In this work, we study the dynamics and the spatial distribution of particles in co-flow and counterflow superfluid helium turbulence in the framework of the two-fluid Hall-Vinen-Bekarevich-Khalatnikov (HVBK) model. We perform three-dimensional numerical simulations of the HVBK equations along with the particle dynamics that depends on the motion of both fluid components. We find that, at low temperatures, where the superfluid mass fraction dominates, particles strongly cluster in vortex filaments …
A complete study of the propagation of waves (namely longitudinal density and temperature waves, longitudinal and transversal velocity waves and heat waves) in turbulent superfluid helium is made in three situations: a rotating frame, a thermal counterflow, and the simultaneous combination of thermal counterflow and rotation. Our analysis aims to obtain as much as possible information on the tangle of quantized vortices from the wave speed and attenuation factor of these different waves, depending on their relative direction of propagation with respect to the rotation vector.
We have simulated the decay of thermal counterflow quantum turbulence from a statistically steady state at T=1.9[K], with the assumption that the normal fluid is at rest during the decay. The results are consistent with the predictions of the Vinen equation (in essence the vortex line density (VLD) decays as t^{-1}). For the statistically steady state, we determine the parameter c_2, which connects the curvature of the vortex lines and the mean separation of vortices. A formula connecting the parameter χ_2 of the Vinen equation with c_2 is shown to agree with the results of the simulations. Di…
We develop an analytic theory of strong anisotropy of the energy spectra in the thermally-driven turbulent counterflow of superfluid He-4. The key ingredients of the theory are the three-dimensional differential closure for the vector of the energy flux and the anisotropy of the mutual friction force. We suggest an approximate analytic solution of the resulting energy-rate equation, which is fully supported by the numerical solution. The two-dimensional energy spectrum is strongly confined in the direction of the counterflow velocity. In agreement with the experiment, the energy spectra in the…
Quantum turbulence accompanying thermal counterflow in superfluid $^4$He was recently visualized by the Maryland group, using micron-sized tracer particles of solid hydrogen (J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. {\bf 77}, 111007 (2008)) . In order to understand the observations we formulate the coupled dynamics of fine particles and quantized vortices, in the presence of a relative motion of the normal and superfluid components. Numerical simulations based on this formulation are shown to agree reasonably well with experimental observations of the velocity distributions of the tracer particles in thermal counte…
We perform a numerical simulation of the dynamics of quantized vortices produced by coflow in a square channel using the vortex filament model. Unlike the situation in thermal counterflow, where the superfluid velocity $v_{\rm s}$ and normal-fluid velocity $v_{\rm n}$ flow in opposite directions, in coflow, $v_{\rm s}$ and $v_{\rm n}$ flow in the same direction. Quantum turbulence in thermal counterflow has been long studied theoretically and experimentally, and its various features have been revealed.In recent years, an experiment on quantum turbulence in coflow has been performed to observe …
We describe a new technique, using thin lines of triplet-state He2 molecular tracers created by femtosecond-laser field-ionization of helium atoms, for visualizing the flow of the normal fluid in superfluid 4He, together with its application to thermal counterflow in a channel. We show that, at relatively small velocities, where the superfluid is already turbulent, the flow of the normal fluid remains laminar, but with a distorted velocity profile, while at a higher velocity there is a transition to turbulence. The form of the structure function in this turbulent state differs significantly fr…
Historically, there is little faith in particle tracking velocimetry (PTV) as a tool to make quantitative measurements of thermal counterflow in He II, since tracer particle motion is complicated by influences from the normal fluid, superfluid, and quantized vortex lines, or a combination thereof. Recently, we introduced a scheme for differentiating particles trapped on vortices (G1) from particles entrained by the normal fluid (G2). In this paper, we apply this scheme to demonstrate the utility of PTV for quantitative measurements of vortex dynamics in He II counterflow. We estimate $\ell$, t…
We perform a numerical analysis of superfluid turbulence produced by thermal counterflow in He II by using the vortex filament model. Counterflow in a low aspect ratio channel is known to show the transition from laminar flow to the two turbulent states TI and TII. The present understanding is that the TI has the turbulent superfluid and the laminar normal fluid but both fluids are turbulent in the TII state. This work studies the vortex tangle in the TI state. Solid boundary condition is applied to walls of a square channel, and the velocity field of the normal fluid is prescribed to be a lam…
We report on studies of quantum turbulence with second-sound in superfluid 4He in which the turbulence is generated by the flow of the superfluid component through a wide square channel, the ends of which are plugged with sintered silver superleaks, the flow being generated by compression of a bellows. The superleaks ensure that there is no net flow of the normal fluid. In an earlier paper (Phys. Rev. B, 86, 134515 (2012)) we have shown that steady flow of this kind generates a density of vortex lines that is essentially identical with that generated by thermal counterflow, when the average re…
Quantum turbulence in superfluid He-4 in narrow channels often takes the form of moving localized vortex tangles. Such tangles, called turbulent plugs, also serve as building blocks of quantum turbulence in wider channels. We report on a numerical study of various aspects of the dynamics and structure of turbulent plugs in a wide range of governing parameters. The unrestricted growth of the tangle in a long channel provides a unique view on a natural tangle structure including superfluid motion at many scales. We argue that the edges of the plugs propagate as turbulent fronts, following the ad…
Superfluid helium is an intimate mixture of a viscous normal fluid, with continuous vorticity, and an inviscid superfluid, where vorticity is constrained to thin, stable topological defects. One mechanism to generate turbulence in this system is through the application of a heat flux, so called thermal counterflow. Of particular interest is how turbulence in the superfluid responds to both a laminar and turbulent normal fluid in the presence of walls. We model superfluid vortex lines as reconnecting space curves with fixed circulation, and consider both laminar (Poiseuille) and turbulent norma…
We perform a numerical analysis of counterflow quantum turbulence of superfluid 4He with nonuni- form flows by using the vortex filament model. In recent visualization experiments nonuniform laminar flows of the normal fluid, namely, Hagen-Poiseuille flow and tail-flattened flow, have been observed. Tail-flattened flow is a novel laminar flow in which the outer part of the Hagen-Poiseuille flow becomes flat. In our simulation, the velocity field of the normal fluid is prescribed to be two nonuniform profiles. This work addresses a square channel to obtain important physics not revealed in the …
The coupled dynamics of the two-fluid model of superfluid $^4$He is numerically studied for quantum turbulence of the thermal counterflow in a square channel. We combine the vortex filament model of the superfluid and the Navier-Stokes equations of normal fluid. Simulations of the coupled dynamics show that the velocity profile of the normal fluid is deformed significantly by superfluid turbulence as the vortices become dense. This result is consistent with recently performed visualization experiments. We introduce a dimensionless parameter that characterizes the deformation of the velocity pr…
The main goal of this paper is to present a comprehensive characterization of well developed vortex tangles in a turbulent counterflow in quantum fluids (with a laminar normal fluid component). We analyze extensive numerical simulations using the vortex filament method, solving the full Biot-Savart equations for the vortex dynamics in a wide range of temperatures and counter-flow velocities. In addition to a detailed analysis of traditional characteristics such as vortex line density, anisotropic and curvature parameters of the vortex tangle, we stress other dynamical and statistical character…
We study numerically nonuniform quantum turbulence of coflow in a square channel by the vortex filament model. Coflow means that superfluid velocity $\bm{v}_s$ and normal fluid velocity $\bm{v}_n$ flow in the same direction. Quantum turbulence for thermal counterflow has been long studied theoretically and experimentally. In recent years, experiments of coflow are performed to observe different features from thermal counterflow. By supposing that $\bm{v}_s$ is uniform and $\bm{v}_n$ takes the Hagen-Poiseiulle profile, our simulation finds that quantized vortices are distributed inhomogeneously…
We perform numerical simulations of finite temperature quantum turbulence produced through thermal counterflow in superfluid $^4$He, using the vortex filament model. We investigate the effects of solid boundaries along one of the Cartesian directions, assuming a laminar normal fluid with a Poiseuille velocity profile, whilst varying the temperature and the normal fluid velocity. We analyze the distribution of the quantized vortices, reconnection rates and quantized-vorticity production as a function of the wall-normal direction. We find that the quantized vortex lines tend to concentrate close…
The coupled dynamics of quantum turbulence (QT) and normal-fluid turbulence (NFT) have been a central challenge in quantum hydrodynamics, since it is expected to cause the unsolved T2 state of QT. We numerically studied the coupled dynamics of the two turbulences in thermal counterflow. NFT is driven by external forces to control its turbulent intensity, and the fast multipole method accelerates the calculation of QT. We show that NFT enhances QT via mutual friction. The vortex line density $L$ of the QT satisfies the statistical law $L^{1/2} \approx γV_{ns}$ with the counterflow velocity $V_{…
Quantum turbulence can be generated in superfluid helium either thermally (by applying a heat flux, as in thermal counterflow) or mechanically (by stirring the liquid). By modelling the superfluid vortex lines as reconnecting space curves with fixed circulation, and the driving normal fluid as a uniform flow (for thermal counterflow) and a synthetic turbulent flow (for mechanically-driven turbulence), we determine the difference between thermally-driven and mechanically-driven quantum turbulence. We find that in mechanically-driven turbulence the energy is concentrated at the large scales, the…
We investigate the thermal counterflow of the superfluid $^4$He by numerically simulating three-dimensional fully coupled dynamics of the two fluids, namely quantized vortices and a normal fluid. We analyze the velocity fluctuations of the laminar normal fluid arising from the mutual friction with the quantum turbulence of the superfluid component. The streamwise fluctuations exhibit higher intensity and longer-range autocorrelation, as compared to transverse ones. The anomalous fluctuations are consistent with visualization experiments [Mastracci et al., Phys. Rev. Fluids, Vol. 4, 083305 (201…
Visualization of thermal counterflow in He II using PIV (particle image velocimetry) and PTV (particle tracking velocimetry) is difficult because tracer particle motion can be influenced by both the normal fluid and superfluid components of He II as well as the quantized vortex tangle. For instance, an early PTV experiment observed particles moving at the normal fluid velocity $v_n$, while a PIV experiment observed particles moving at $v_n/2$, though the range of heat flux applied in these experiments differed by an order of magnitude. To resolve this apparent discrepancy and explore statistic…
Vortex filament model has become a standard and powerful tool to visualize the motion of quantized vortices in helium superfluids. In this article, we present an overview of the method and highlight its impact in aiding our understanding of quantum turbulence, particularly superfluid helium. We present an analysis of the structure and arrangement of quantized vortices. Our results are in agreement with previous studies showing that under certain conditions, vortices form coherent bundles, which allows for classical vortex stretching, giving quantum turbulence a classical nature. We also offer …
We perform numerical simulation of quantum turbulence at zero temperature generated by an oscillating sphere. In this simulation, we injected vortices on the sphere to generate turbulence. Although we prepare injected vortex loops of identical length, they are extended by the oscillating sphere to form a tangle through numerous reconnections. The resulting tangle around the sphere is anisotropic and affected by the oscillation. The vortex tangle continues to emit vortex loops, which leave the sphere. The statistics of emitted loops differ significantly from those of the original injected vorti…
We report a comprehensive investigation of the effects of quantum turbulence and quantized vorticity in superfluid $^4$He on the motion of a micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) resonator. We find that the MEMS is uniquely sensitive to quantum turbulence present in the fluid. To generate turbulence in the fluid, a quartz tuning fork (TF) is placed in proximity to the MEMS and driven at large amplitude. We observe that at low velocity, the MEMS is damped by the turbulence, and that above a critical velocity, $v_c \simeq 5\,$mm\,s$^{-1}$, the turbulent damping is greatly reduced. We find that …
We investigate the coupled dynamics of quantized vortices and normal fluid in superfluid $^4$He at finite temperatures using a numerical approach based on the vortex filament model (VFM) and lattice Boltzmann method (LBM). The LBM allows us to simulate a fluid flow with only local operations, i .e., rather than solving the Navier--Stokes (NS) equations directly; a fluid flow is considered a convection of mesoscopic particles between sites on a lattice grid. Although the two-fluid nature of He II makes its flow complex, the particle-like treatment of the normal fluid in the LBM significantly re…
Generic scaling laws, such as the Kolmogorov's 5/3-law, are milestone achievements of turbulence research in classical fluids. For quantum fluids such as atomic Bose-Einstein condensates, superfluid helium, and superfluid neutron stars, turbulence can also exist in the presence of a chaotic tangle of evolving quantized vortex lines. However, due to the lack of suitable experimental tools to directly probe the vortex-tangle motion, so far little is known about possible scaling laws that characterize the velocity correlations and trajectory statistics of the vortices in quantum-fluid turbulence …
The energy spectrum of quantum turbulence obeys Kolmogorov's law. The vortex length distribution (VLD), meaning the size distribution of the vortices, in Kolmogorov quantum turbulence also obeys a power law. We propose here an innovative idea to study the origin of the power law of the VLD. The nature of quantized vortices allows one to describe the decay of quantum turbulence with a simple model that is similar to the Barabasi-Albert model of large networks. We show here that such a model can reproduce the power law of the VLD well.
We have studied the interaction of metastable $^4$He$_2^*$ excimer molecules with quantized vortices in superfluid $^4$He in the zero temperature limit. The vortices were generated by either rotation or ion injection. The trapping diameter of the molecules on quantized vortices was found to be $96\pm6$\,nm at a pressure of 0.1\,bar and $27\pm5$\,nm at 5.0 bar. We have also demonstrated that a moving tangle of vortices can carry the molecules through the superfluid helium.
Measurements of the energy spectrum and of the vortex-density fluctuation spectrum in superfluid turbulence seem to contradict each other. Using a numerical model, we show that at each instance of time the total vortex line density can be decomposed into two parts: one formed by metastable bundles of coherent vortices, and one in which the vortices are randomly oriented. We show that the former is responsible for the observed Kolmogorov energy spectrum, and the latter for the spectrum of the vortex line density fluctuations.
There is a growing interest in the relation between classical turbulence and quantum turbulence. Classical turbulence arises from complicated dynamics of eddies in a classical fluid. In contrast, quantum turbulence consists of a tangle of stable topological defects called quantized vortices, and thus quantum turbulence provides a simpler prototype of turbulence than classical turbulence. In this paper, we investigate the dynamics and statistics of quantized vortices in quantum turbulence by numerically solving a modified Gross-Pitaevskii equation. First, to make decaying turbulence, we introdu…
Quantum mechanics places significant restrictions on the hydrodynamics of superfluid flows. Despite this it has been observed that turbulence in superfluids can, in a statistical sense, share many of the properties of its classical brethren; coherent bundles of superfluid vortices are often invoked as an important feature leading to this quasi-classical behavior. A recent experimental study [E. Rusaouen, B. Rousset, and P.-E. Roche, EPL, {\bf 118}, 1, 14005, (2017)] inferred the presence of these bundles through intermittency in the pressure field, however direct visualization of the quantized…
The present article reviews the recent developments in the physics of quantum turbulence. Quantum turbulence (QT) was discovered in superfluid $^4$He in the 1950s, and the research has tended toward a new direction since the mid 90s. The similarities and differences between quantum and classical turbulence have become an important area of research. QT is comprised of quantized vortices that are definite topological defects, being expected to yield a model of turbulence that is much simpler than the classical model. The general introduction of the issue and a brief review on classical turbulenc…
Nonequilibrium condensate systems such as exciton-polariton condensates are capable of supporting a spontaneous vortex nucleation. The spatial inhomogeneity of pumping field or/and disordered potential creates velocity flow fields that may become unstable to vortex formation. This letter considers ways in which turbulent states of interacting vortices can be created. It is shown that by combining just two pumping intensities it is possible to create a superfluid turbulence state of well-separated vortices, a strong turbulence state of de-structured vortices, or a weak turbulence state in which…
The understanding of turbulent flows is one of the biggest current challenges in physics, as no first-principles theory exists to explain their observed spatio-temporal intermittency. Turbulent flows may be regarded as an intricate collection of mutually-interacting vortices. This picture becomes accurate in quantum turbulence, which is built on tangles of discrete vortex filaments. Here, we study the statistics of velocity circulation in quantum and classical turbulence. We show that, in quantum flows, Kolmogorov turbulence emerges from the correlation of vortex orientations, while deviations…
