All-optical generation of Abrikosov vortices by the Inverse Faraday Effect

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that circularly polarized THz or infrared light can induce supercurrents in superconductors, enabling controlled, all-optical creation of Abrikosov vortices through a novel two-stage irradiation scheme.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework showing how light helicity can control vortex polarity and proposes a new method for optical vortex generation in superconductors.

Findings

Circularly polarized radiation induces supercurrents affecting vortex dynamics.

Helicity of light determines vortex polarity.

Proposed two-stage irradiation scheme enables controlled vortex creation.

Abstract

Within the framework of the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory we show that circularly polarized THz or far-infrared radiation induces a dc supercurrent that influences the dynamics of vortex-antivortex pair formation in a mesoscopic superconductor undergoing rapid thermal quenching. The Lorentz force arising from the supercurrents promotes vortex-antivortex separation and allows survival of the vortex polarity defined by the helicity of light. Based on this idea, we propose a two-stage irradiation scheme that provides a powerful method for controlled all-optical generation of Abrikosov vortices.