Counterflow quantum turbulence of He II in a square channel: Numerical analysis with nonuniform flows of the normal fluid

TL;DR

This study numerically investigates counterflow quantum turbulence in superfluid helium within a square channel, revealing how nonuniform normal fluid flows influence vortex behavior and turbulence characteristics, including vortex density and flow inhomogeneity.

Contribution

It introduces a numerical analysis of quantum turbulence under nonuniform normal fluid flows in a square channel, highlighting the effects of flow flatness on vortex dynamics and turbulence states.

Findings

Vortex line density increases with flow flatness.

Quantum turbulence shows space-time oscillations under Hagen-Poiseuille flow.

Tail-flattened flow acts as an intermediate turbulence state.

Abstract

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 preceding numerical works. In the studies of the two profiles we analyze the statistics of the physical quantities. Under Hagen-Poiseuille flow, inhomogeneous quantum turbulence appears as a statistically steady state. The vortex tangle shows a characteristic space-time oscillation. Under tail-flattened flow, the nature of the quantum turbulence depends strongly on that flatness. Vortex line density increases significantly as the profile becomes flatter, being saturated above a certain flatness. The inhomogeneity is significantly reduced in comparison to the case of Hagen-Poiseuille flow. Investigating the behavior of quantized vortices reveals that tail-flattened flow is an intermedi- ate state between Hagen-Poiseuille flow and uniform flow. In both profiles we obtain a characteristic inhomogeneity in the physical quantities, which suggests that a boundary layer of superfluid appears near a solid boundary. The vortex tangle produces a velocity field opposite to the applied superfluid flow, and, consequently, the superfluid flow becomes smaller than the applied one.