On the structure of quantized vortices in a saturated liquid 3He– 4He mixture

Abstract

The recent experiments on the phase-separation kinetics in liquid 3He– 4He mixtures are discussed. The nucleus of the stable 3He-concentrated phase is assumed to be located at the core of a quantized vortex. The energy of a nucleus is analysed for sufficiently large radii as an expansion in inverse powers of radius. The fact that the 3He concentration in the 3He-dilute phase cannot exceed the value at the spinodal or λ-line is involved. The results are compared with the bulk homogeneous nucleation of the stable phase.