Hydrodynamic equations of anisotropic, polarized and inhomogeneous superfluid vortex tangles (Q629001): Difference between revisions

The paper proposes to substitute in the Hall-Vinen-Bekarevich-Khalatnikov (HVBK) equations the expressions of the mutual friction force between normal and superfluid components and the non-vanishing tension of the vortex lines, taking into account the second-order moment of the unit vector tangent along the vortex line. It allows one to state that not all the vortex lines in the small volume element under consideration have the same direction. This approximate description of superfluid hydrodynamics is more satisfactory than the HVBK assumption and gives a possibility to generalize the constitutive equations taking into account polarized, anisotropic and inhomogeneous superfluid vortex tangles. First, an introduction to the usual HVBK model is made by considering the expression of the mutual friction force and the vortex tension in the cases of rotating helium and counter-flow superfluid turbulence. The considered incompressible HVBK equations can be applied when the line length per unit volume is high, so that the fluctuations become statistically irrelevant. One of the aims of the paper is to generalize the mutual friction force and the vortex tension, and also to analyze the limit of validity of their expressions. The following consideration is restricted to regions with a high density of vortex lines, all pointing in the same direction and with the same curvature vector. This allows one to consider fluctuations in the direction of the vortex lines and to incorporate inhomogeneities, anisotropy, polarization and tension of the tangle of vortex lines in the HVBK equations. The analysis of the validity limits of the obtained approximations for the mutual friction force and the vortex tension shows that the limits relate to the case of the neglected second order moments of the unit vector tangent along the vortex line. Then, the more general expressions for the mutual friction force and tension overcoming some of the stated restrictions are obtained by using the local-induction approximation. The model is completed by a generalization of the Vinen's equation as an evolution equation for the vortex line density. To check the consistency of the obtained evolution equation for the vortex line density equation, an analysis based on the formalism of linear irreversible thermodynamics is carried out. Finally, an application of the model to the interesting case of rotating counter-flow turbulence is made by presenting two cases of pure counter-flow, and simultaneous counter-flow and rotation. In the last case, by considering two simple illustrations when the counter-flow velocity is parallel (orthogonal) to the angular velocity of rotation, it is shown that the generalized equation for the mutual friction force is indeed to have specific applications.