Multiple critical velocities in oscillatory flow of superfluid 4He due to quartz tuning forks

We report recent investigations into the transition to turbulence in superfluid He-4, realized experimentally by measuring the drag forces acting on two custom-made quartz tuning forks with fundamental resonances at 6.5 kHz and 55.5 kHz, in the temperature range 10 mK to 2.17 K. In pure superfluid in the zero temperature limit, three distinct critical velocities were observed with both tuning forks. We discuss the significance of all critical velocities and associate the third critical velocity reported here with the development of large vortical structures in the flow, which thus starts to mimic turbulence in classical fluids. The interpretation of our results is directly linked to previous experimental work with oscillators such as tuning forks, grids, and vibrating wires, focusing on the behavior of purely superfluid He-4 at very low temperatures.