Feynman conjecture on the vortex-tangle origin of superfluid turbulence

Determine whether turbulence in three-dimensional superfluids arises from a tangle of quantized vortex lines whose continual reconnections sustain the turbulent cascade.

Background

The paper places its two-dimensional dual-gauge-theory treatment in the broader context of quantized-vortex descriptions of superfluid turbulence. It recalls Feynman’s conjecture that three-dimensional superfluid turbulence is generated by a tangle of quantized vortex lines, with continual vortex reconnections maintaining the turbulent energy cascade.

This conjecture concerns the microscopic mechanism underlying turbulence in three-dimensional superfluids and is distinct from the two-dimensional inverse-cascade dynamics analyzed in the paper.

References

In a seminal paper, Feynman conjectured that turbulence in 3$d$ superfluids arises from a tangle of quantized vortex lines, whose continual reconnections sustain the turbulent cascade.

— Dual Gauge Theory for Two Dimensional Superfluid Turbulence  (2608.12485 - Helbig et al., 12 Aug 2026) in Section 2, “Superfluid turbulence”