Thermodynamically stable non-local vortices, vortex molecules and semi-Meissner state in neither type-I nor type-II multicomponent superconductors
Nov, 20045 pages
Published in:
- Phys.Rev.B 72 (2005) 180502
e-Print:
- cond-mat/0411681 [cond-mat.supr-con]
View in:
Citations per year
Abstract: (arXiv)
Traditionally, superconductors are categorized as type-I or type-II. Type-I superconductors support only Meissner and normal states, while type-II superconductors form magnetic vortices in sufficiently strong applied magnetic fields. Recently there has been much interest in superconducting systems with several species of condensates, in fields ranging from Condensed Matter to High Energy Physics. Here we show that the type-I/type-II classification is insufficient for such multicomponent superconductors. We obtain solutions representing thermodynamically stable vortices with properties falling outside the usual type-I/type-II dichotomy, in that they have the following features: (i) Pippard electrodynamics, (ii) interaction potential with long-range attractive and short-range repulsive parts, (iii) for an n-quantum vortex, a non-monotonic ratio E(n)/n where E(n) is the energy per unit length, (iv) energetic preference for non-axisymmetric vortex states, "vortex molecules". Consequently, these superconductors exhibit an emerging first order transition into a "semi-Meissner" state, an inhomogeneous state comprising a mixture of domains of two-component Meissner state and vortex clusters.Note:
- in print in Phys. Rev. B Rapid Communications. v2: presentation is made more accessible for a general reader. Latest updates and links to related papers are available at the home page of one of the authors: http://people.ccmr.cornell.edu/~egor/
References(0)
Figures(1)
Loading ...