Amorphous Vortex Glass Phase in Strongly Disordered Superconductors

TL;DR

This paper presents a model for vortices in strongly disordered 3D superconductors, revealing a vortex glass phase at low temperatures through Monte Carlo simulations, with critical exponents characterizing the phase transition.

Contribution

It introduces a novel model focusing on topological defects in vortex lattices and characterizes the vortex glass transition with finite size scaling analysis.

Findings

Identification of a vortex glass phase at low temperatures

Continuous phase transition with specific critical exponents

Monte Carlo simulations validate the model's predictions

Abstract

We introduce a model describing vortices in strongly disordered three-dimensional superconductors. The model focuses on the topological defects, i.e., dislocation lines, in an elastic description of the vortex lattice. The model is studied using Monte Carlo simulations, revealing a glass phase at low temperatures, separated by a continuous phase transition to the high temperature resistive vortex liquid phase. The critical exponents nu ~ 1.3 and eta ~ -0.4 characterizing the transition are obtained from finite size scaling.