| EPSRC Reference: |
GR/R71481/01 |
| Title: |
Production and evolution of quantized turbulence in superfliud helium-4 |
| Principal Investigator: |
McClintock, Professor P |
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| Department: |
Physics |
| Organisation: |
Lancaster University |
| Scheme: |
Standard Research (Pre-FEC) |
| Starts: |
01 January 2002 |
Ends: |
31 December 2004 |
Value (£): |
292,696
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| No relevance to Underpinning Sectors |
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Summary on Grant Application Form |
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Ilt is proposed to undertake two groups of experiments involving the creation and decay of vortex tangles (quantized turbulence) in superfluid helium-4, in each case building on recent breakthroughs made in part at Lancaster.(a) We aim to study the quantized turbulence created by a grid drawn through superfluid helium-4 at mK temperatures. Apart from our own preliminary experiments, demonstrating that the work is feasible, this is new scientific territory. We cannot be sure what we will find, but we expect the investigations to bear on several important fundamental phenomena including vortex reconnections, radiation of phonons from Kelvin waves, quasi-classical behaviour on large length scales, non-locality of interactions between the motion on different length scales, possible Kelvin wave cascades, and the role of small vortex rings in driving the decay.(b) We will seek evidence for quantized vortices created via the Kibble mechanism. The enhanced expansion apparatus will be used to take a small volume of liquid helium-4 rapidly through the lambda transition. The vortices will be detected by their attenuation of second sound. The results will be compared with theoretical predictions and are expected to shed light on the analogous symmetry-breaking GUT transition of the early universe. Even if vortices cannot be seen, we expect to reduce the upper bound on the initial vortex density by a factor of about 10.
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Key Findings |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Potential use in non-academic contexts |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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Impacts |
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| Description |
This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk |
| Summary |
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| Date Materialised |
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Sectors submitted by the Researcher |
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This information can now be found on Gateway to Research (GtR) http://gtr.rcuk.ac.uk
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| Project URL: |
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| Further Information: |
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| Organisation Website: |
http://www.lancs.ac.uk |