Quantum Hasimoto transformation and nonlinear waves on a superfluid vortex filament under the quantum local induction approximation

Journal article

The Hasimoto transformation between the classical LIA (local induction approximation, a model approximating the motion of a thin vortex filament) and the nonlinear Schrödinger equation (NLS) has proven very useful in the past, since it allows one to construct new solutions to the LIA once a solution to the NLS is known. In the present paper, the quantum form of the LIA (which includes mutual friction effects) is put into correspondence with a type of complex nonlinear dispersive partial differential equation (PDE) with cubic nonlinearity (similar in form to a Ginsburg-Landau equation, with additional nonlinear terms). Transforming the quantum LIA in such a way enables one to obtain quantum vortex filament solutions once solutions to this dispersive PDE are known. From our quantum Hasimoto transformation, we determine the form and behavior of Stokes waves, a standing one-soliton, traveling waves, and similarity solutions under normal and binormal friction effects. The quantum Hasimoto transformation is useful when normal fluid velocity is relatively weak, so for the case where the normal fluid velocity is dominant we resort to other approaches. We exhibit a number of solutions that exist only in the presence of the normal fluid velocity and mutual friction terms (which would therefore not exist in the limit taken to obtain the classical LIA, decaying into line filaments under such a limit), examples of which include normal fluid driven helices, stationary and propagating topological solitons, and a vortex ring whose radius varies inversely with the normal fluid magnitude. We show that, while chaos may not be impossible under the quantum LIA, it should not be expected to arise from traveling waves along quantum vortex filaments under the quantum LIA formulation.

Authors: Van Gorder, R

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Journal: Physical Review E - Statistical, Nonlinear, and Soft Matter Physics
• Publication date: 2015-05-29
• Acceptance date: 2015-04-08
• DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevE.91.053201
• EISSN: 1550-2376
• ISSN: 1539-3755
• Keywords: SBTMR