Properties of skyrmions and multi-quanta vortices in chiral $p$-wave superconductors

TL;DR

This paper investigates the energetic properties of skyrmions and multi-quanta vortices in chiral p-wave superconductors, revealing which vortex configurations are energetically favored under various conditions.

Contribution

It provides a numerical analysis of singular and coreless vortex states, highlighting the conditions favoring multi-quanta vortices over single-quanta vortices in chiral p-wave superconductors.

Findings

Two-quanta (coreless) vortices are energetically favored over single-quanta vortices.

Single quantum vortices with opposite winding have different energies.

Multi-quanta vortices carrying more flux are typically metastable or more expensive energetically.

Abstract

Chiral $p$-wave superconducting state supports a rich spectrum of topological excitations different from those in conventional superconducting states. Besides domain walls separating different chiral states, chiral $p$-wave state supports both singular and coreless vortices also interpreted as skyrmions. Here, we present a numerical study of the energetic properties of isolated singular and coreless vortex states as functions of anisotropy and magnetic field penetration length. In a given chiral state, single quantum vortices with opposite winding have different energies and thus only one kind is energetically favoured. We find that with the appropriate sign of the phase winding, two-quanta (coreless) vortices are always energetically preferred over two isolated single quanta (singular) vortices. We also report solutions carrying more flux quanta. However those are typically more energetically expensive/metastable as compared to those carrying two flux quanta.