Phase Slippage without Vortex Cores: Vortex Textures in SuperfluidHe3

Abstract

The characteristic dissipation process for conventional superfluid flow is phase slip-page: motion of quantized vortices in response to the Magnus force, which allows finite chemical potential differences to occur. Topological considerations and actual construction are used to show that in liquid ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathrm{He}$-$A$, textures with vorticity but no vortex core can easily be constructed, so that dissipation of superfluid flow can occur by motion of textures alone without true vortex lines, dissipation occurring via the Cross viscosity for motions of $\hat{l}$.