Dynamics of quantized vortices moving towards reconnection

TL;DR

This paper numerically investigates how quantized vortex loops evolve and approach reconnection at finite temperatures, revealing universal behaviors and the influence of initial conditions and mutual friction.

Contribution

It demonstrates the universal square-root dependence of vortex tip separation and the formation of pyramid-like structures near reconnection, considering finite temperature effects.

Findings

The minimum distance between vortex tips follows a universal square-root law.

Vortex loops can shrink and collapse before reconnection due to mutual friction.

Vortex structures form pyramid-like shapes with angles independent of initial conditions.

Abstract

The main goal of this paper is to investigate numerically the dynamics of quantized vortex loops, just before the reconnection at finite temperature, when mutual friction essentially changes evolution of lines. Modeling is performed on the base of vortex filament method with using the full Biot-Savart equation. It was discovered that initial position of vortices and the temperature strongly affect the dependence on time of the minimum distance $\delta (t)$ between tips of two vortex loops. In particular, in some cases the shrinking and collapse of vortex loops due to mutual friction occur earlier than reconnection, thereby cancelling the latter. However, this relationship takes a universal square-root form $\delta\left(t\right)=\sqrt{\left(\kappa/2\pi\right)\left(t_{*}-t\right)}$ at distances smaller than the one, satisfying the Schwarz criterion, when nonlocal contribution to the Biot-Savart equation becomes about equal to local contribution. In the "universal" the nearest parts of vortices form a pyramid-like structure with angles which are also don't depend both on the initial configuration of filaments and on the temperature.