Superfluids

Luis Puente and Verónica Quilumba

May 21, 2019

Yachay Tech University

 OUTLINE:
1. INTRODUCTION: What is a superfluid?
2. THEORETICAL DESCRIPTION
3. ENERGY SCALE
4. SUPERFLUIDITY AND ROTON MINIMUM
5. LANDAU’S CRITICAL VELOCITY
6. CONCLUSIONS
What is a superfluid?
What is a superfluid?
First observed in liquid helium

Figure 1. The liquid helium is in

the superfluid phase. As long as it
remains superfluid, it creeps up
the inside wall of the cup as a thin
film. It comes down on the outside,
forming a drop which will fall into
the liquid below. Another drop will
form—and so on—until the cup is
empty.
What is a superfluid?
Liquid Helium
(Mass is transported/number of atoms are transported)

Relativistic
Non-Relativistic
System
System
Mass is not
Mass and # of
conserved
atoms are
conserved
quantities

“Charge” Superfluidity: frictionless

transport of a conserved charge
 What is a superfluid?
Superfluids have a limit of
temperature

They are a phase of a given

system below a certain critical
temperature at which a phase
transition happens.
Figure 2. Schematic phase diagram of 4He
in the plane of pressure P and temperature T
.
Theoretical Description

Bose-Einstein
Condensation

Helium atoms occupy a

single quantum state,
forming a condensate.
Theoretical Description
Phase transition using
symmetries of the system

In the superfluid phase of a

system, a symmetry of the
system that is associated
with the conserved charge
is spontaneously broken.
 Energy Scale
Critical Temperature of
superfluid liquid helium is 2.2 K

For some ultracold atomic gases T

is of the order of
Astrophysical observations
Critical T for neutron matter is in
Figure 3. Schematic phase diagram of 4He the order of and quark
in the plane of pressure P and temperature T matter is in the order of
.
Superfluidity
● It is the characteristic property of a fluid with zero viscosity.
● It carries charge and can flow without losing energy.
● This phenomenon is related to Bose–Einstein condensate.

Let us consider a superfluid moving through a capillary with velocity

The energy of the fluid is given by

The fluid loses energy through dissipation if

Superfluidity and Roton Minimum

● Dissipative processes take place through the creation of

elementary excitation.

● Weakly interacting Bose gas at zero temperature satisfies the

Landau’s criteria of superfluidity

Figure 4. Schematic plot of

the dispersion for
superfluid helium.
 Landau’s critical velocity

The system transports charge without dissipation for velocities

smaller than the critical velocity

If the fluid moves at speeds lower than this, the fluid continues
to flow forever, essentially.

By the contrary
Conclusions

● The criterion for superfluidity requires a nonzero critical

velocity (Vc) and the existence of a condensate.

● The Landau’s criteria of superfluidity is summarized as the

relative velocity between the fluid and the capillary is smaller
than the critical value, V < Vc.

● The particle-particle interaction is a crucial requirement in

the appearance of superfluidity