A reexamination of quenches in Helium 4 and Helium 3

Abstract

In the light of recent difficulties in observing vortices in quenches of liquid helium 4 to its superfluid state we re-examine the Zurek scenario for their production. We argue that experiments in helium 4 are unlikely to produce true vortices in the numbers originally anticipated, if at all, because of the wide Ginzberg regime and the slowness of the mechanical quenches. On the other hand, the observed production of unambiguous vortices in neutron-bombarded helium 3, with its narrow Ginzberg regime, and fast quenches, is to be expected.