Vortices with spontaneously broken axisymmetry inB3

This paper reports the discovery of a new breaking of symmetry of the quantized vortex lines in superfluid ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathit{B}$: Vortices with broken axisymmetry are found energetically more favorable than any of the axisymmetric ones in the weak-coupling limit. Based on our extensive numerical minimization of the vortex free-energy functional, we identify the vortices occurring in rotating ${}_{}{}^3{}_{}{}^{}\mathit{B}$ at low pressures as v vortices having—in addition to broken space parity P—also broken axisymmetry Q with the nonaxisymmetry quantum number ‖Q‖=2, and with superfluid core in the axiplanar state.