Excimers He2* as Tracers of Quantum Turbulence in 4He in the T=0 Limit

Abstract

We have studied the interaction of metastable $^4$He$_2^*$ excimer molecules with quantized vortices in superfluid $^4$He in the zero temperature limit. The vortices were generated by either rotation or ion injection. The trapping diameter of the molecules on quantized vortices was found to be $96\pm6$\,nm at a pressure of 0.1\,bar and $27\pm5$\,nm at 5.0 bar. We have also demonstrated that a moving tangle of vortices can carry the molecules through the superfluid helium.