Modulation of a quantized vortex street with a vibrating obstacle

TL;DR

This paper investigates how vibrating obstacles influence the formation and symmetry of quantized vortex streets in superfluid flow, using numerical solutions of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation.

Contribution

It introduces the effect of obstacle vibration on vortex street modulation and symmetry breaking in superfluid dynamics.

Findings

Vortex streets form periodically behind obstacles at certain velocities and sizes.

Obstacle vibration breaks the symmetry of the vortex street.

Vortex street behavior can be controlled via obstacle vibration parameters.

Abstract

Dynamics of a superfluid flow past an obstacle are investigated by solving the Gross-Pitaevskii equation numerically. For an appropriate velocity and size of the obstacle, quantized vortices are periodically generated in the wake, which form a Benard-von Karman vortex street. It is found that vibration of an obstacle modulates the vortex street breaking a symmetry.