Vortices and quasiparticles near the "superconductor-insulator" transition in thin films

TL;DR

This paper introduces a two-fluid model to study the transition between superconducting and insulating phases in thin films, revealing a novel vortex metal phase with unique transport and thermodynamic properties.

Contribution

It presents a new theoretical framework combining fermionized vortices and quasiparticles to explore the superconductor-insulator transition in thin films.

Findings

Identification of a vortex metal phase with non-Fermi liquid behavior

Analysis of transport and thermodynamic properties of the vortex metal

Interplay between vortices and quasiparticles across the transition

Abstract

We study the low temperature behavior of an amorphous superconducting film driven normal by a perpendicular magnetic field (B). For this purpose we introduce a new two-fluid formulation consisting of fermionized field induced vortices and electrically neutralized Bogoliubov quasiparticles (spinons) interacting via a long-ranged statistical interaction. This approach allows us to access a novel non-Fermi liquid phase which naturally interpolates between the low B superconductor and the high B normal metal. We discuss the transport, thermodynamic, and tunneling properties of the resulting "vortex metal" phase.