Continuous thermal melting of a two-dimensional Abrikosov vortex solid

TL;DR

This paper investigates the thermal melting process of a two-dimensional Abrikosov vortex solid, using a novel model and large-scale simulations, confirming a continuous transition consistent with established theories and experiments.

Contribution

Introduces a combined LLL projection and Wannier basis model to study vortex melting, providing numerical evidence for a continuous transition.

Findings

Evidence of a continuous melting transition

Agreement with Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young theory

Consistency with recent experimental results

Abstract

We examine the question of thermal melting of the triangular Abrikosov vortex solid in two-dimensional superconductors or neutral superfluids. We introduce a model, which combines lowest Landau level (LLL) projection with the magnetic Wannier basis to represent degenerate eigenstates in the LLL. Solving the model numerically via large-scale Monte Carlo simulations, we find clear evidence for a continuous melting transition, in perfect agreement with the Kosterlitz-Thouless-Halperin-Nelson-Young theory and with recent experiments.