Vortons in the SO(5) model of high temperature superconductivity

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that stable vortex loops, called vortons, can exist in the SO(5) model of high-temperature superconductivity, potentially impacting the understanding of phase transitions and quasiparticles in these materials.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of stable vortons in the SO(5) model, showing they are stabilized by conserved charges and could be relevant to high T_c superconductor physics.

Findings

Vortons can form as classically stable vortex loops in the SO(5) model.

These vortons carry angular momentum that prevents them from shrinking.

Vortons may be related to phase transitions in high-temperature superconductors.

Abstract

It has been shown that superconducting vortices with antiferromagnetic cores arise within Zhang's SO(5) model of high temperature supercondictivity. Similar phenomena where the symmetry is not restored in the core of the vortex was discussed by Witten in the case of cosmic strings. It was also suggested that such strings can form stable vortons, which are closed loops of such vortices. Motivated by this analogy, in following we will show that loops of such vortices in the SO(5) model of high T_c superconductivity can exist as classically stable objects, stabilized by the presence of conserved charges trapped on the vortex core. These objects carry angular momentum which counteracts the effect of the string tension that causes the loops to shrink. The existence of such quasiparticles, which are called vortons, could be interesting for the physics of high temperature superconductors. We also speculate that the phase transition between superconducting and antiferromagnetic phases at zero external magnetic field when the doping parameter changes is associated with vortons.