SUPERFLUID FIELD THEORY

The very low temperature dynamics of an isotropic superfluid is derived from a repulsive bosonic field theory. The field theory is a fully dynamical generalization of the Ginzburg-Landau theory, which at zero temperature has semiclassical superfluid solutions. It is shown that supercurrent quenching occurs above some intrinsic critical velocity. The speed of first sound is calculated and the Landau criterion for a maximum superfluid velocity is derived. At finite temperature, the thermodynamic potential is computed, the order parameter and gap equations are derived, the origin of the Landau two-fluid model is identified and the thermomechanical effect is explained. This theory successfully describes many of the features of 4He well below the critical temperature, as well as relativistic generalizations.