Exact solutions for nonlinear development of Kelvin-Helmholtz instability for counterflow of superfluid and normal components of Helium II

Abstract

A relative motion of the normal and superfluid components of Helium II results in Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) at their common free surface. We found the exact solutions for the nonlinear stage of the development of that instability. Contrary to the usual KHI of the interface between two fluids, the dynamics of Helium II free surface allows decoupling of the governing equations with their reduction to the Laplace growth equation which has the infinite number of exact solutions including the formation of sharp cusps at free surface in a finite time.