Periodic Vortex Structures in Superfluid 3He-A

TL;DR

This paper classifies and calculates various periodic vortex structures in rotating superfluid 3He-A, providing a phase diagram and identifying a new vortex type, with results aligning qualitatively with experimental observations.

Contribution

It introduces a comprehensive classification and numerical analysis of vortex structures in superfluid 3He-A, including a previously unconsidered vortex type, and constructs a phase diagram.

Findings

Vortex sheet is the equilibrium state at high rotation velocities.

Six equilibrium vortex solutions are characterized.

The new locked vortex 3 is identified and discussed.

Abstract

We discuss the general properties of periodic vortex arrangements in rotating superfluids. The different possible structures are classified according to the symmetry space-groups and the circulation number. We calculate numerically several types of vortex structures in superfluid 3He-A. The calculations are done in the Ginzburg-Landau region, but the method is applicable at all temperatures. A phase diagram of vortices is constructed in the plane formed by the magnetic field and the rotation velocity. The characteristics of the six equilibrium vortex solutions are discussed. One of these, the locked vortex 3, has not been considered in the literature before. The vortex sheet forms the equilibrium state of rotating 3He-A at rotation velocities exceeding 2.6 rad/s. The results are in qualitative agreement with experiments.