Current induction and macroscopic forces for superconducting strings

TL;DR

This paper investigates the mechanisms of current generation in superconducting vortons and compares the effects of fermion scattering and spectral flow on the macroscopic forces experienced by these objects, with implications for cosmology and condensed matter physics.

Contribution

It introduces a study of inverse photoelectric effects in vortons and compares fermion scattering versus spectral flow effects on the vortex forces.

Findings

Analysis of fermion absorption and photon emission in vortons

Comparison of scattering and spectral flow effects on vortex forces

Insights into current generation mechanisms in superconducting strings

Abstract

Vortons are extended superconducting rings, which hypothetically may play a role in cosmology and even may have significance in connection with cosmic rays of high energy. Some of these objects are able to confine fermions which consequently become massless in the core of the object \cite{witten}, \cite{vorton3}. These fermions travel at light speed in the core and may generate a large current without dissipation. This raises interest about the generation mechanisms for these currents inside the defect. This question is analyzed here by studying the inverse photoelectric effect for these objects namely, the absorption of a fermion with the consequent emission of a photon or a massive boson by the extended defect. Another motivation for the present work is that there exists a discussion in condensed matter about the role of the bound spectrum in the macroscopic Magnus force that the vortex experiences in certain type of superfluids or superconductors. The discussion is about wether the main force comes from scattering of these fermions by the object or by the effect of the environment on the bound states in the object, which may induce a spectral flow leading to an effective macroscopic force \cite{pelea1}, \cite{pelea2}, \cite{pelea3}. Without claiming that the results described here are conclusive in the context of condensed matter, this work presents a comparison between these two effects for vortons interacting with a plasma of fermions.