Leading experts summarize our current understanding of the fundamental nature of turbulence, covering a wide range of topics.

Recent investigations have highlighted the similarities between turbulence in cryogenic fluids at temperatures close to absolute zero, in particular superfluid helium, and turbulence in ordinary fluids. This book contains lectures on various theoretical and experimental aspects of the problem given by experts at the advanced school “Vortices and Turbulence at Low Temperatures” held at CISM, Udine, in the summer of 2007. The lectures provide an introduction into this rapidly expanding area of research. The book is suitable to PhD students and young researchers starting their career as well as established researchers in either low temperature physics or fluid mechanics who are interested in this problem.

This book springs from the programme Quantized Vortex Dynamics and Sup- ?uid Turbulence held at the Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences (University of Cambridge) in August 2000. What motivated the programme was the recognition that two recent developments have moved the study of qu- tized vorticity, traditionally carried out within the low-temperature physics and condensed-matter physics communities, into a new era. The ?rst development is the increasing contact with classical ?uid dynamics and its ideas and methods. For example, some current experiments with - lium II now deal with very classical issues, such as the measurement of velocity spectra and turbulence decay rates. The evidence from these experiments and many others is that super?uid turbulence and classical turbulence share many features. The challenge is now to explain these similarities and explore the time scales and length scales over which they hold true. The observed classical aspects have also attracted attention to the role played by the ?ow of the normal ?uid, which was somewhat neglected in the past because of the lack of direct ?ow visualization. Increased computing power is also making it possible to study the coupled motion of super?uid vortices and normal ?uids. Another contact with classical physics arises through the interest in the study of super?uid vortex - connections. Reconnections have been studied for some time in the contexts of classical ?uid dynamics and magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD), and it is useful to learn from the experience acquired in other ?elds.

This book represents recent cutting-edge developments in low temperature physics, reported at one of the largest international conferences in physics. The subjects covered are superconductivity, magnetism, quantum gases, quantum liquids and solids, electronic properties of solids, low-temperature experimental techniques, cryogenics, and applications.

This book draws together all the basic principles of vortex dynamics in neutral superfluids in one comprehensive volume.