Vortex quasi-crystals in mesoscopic superconducting samples

TL;DR

This paper proposes a vortex quasi-crystal state in mesoscopic superconducting samples, stabilized by boundary effects, with a phase transition from vortex crystal to quasi-crystal depending on magnetic field, temperature, and sample size.

Contribution

It introduces the concept of vortex quasi-crystals in mesoscopic superconductors and predicts a size-dependent phase transition influenced by boundary effects.

Findings

Vortex quasi-crystals can be stabilized in special-shaped samples.

A phase transition from vortex crystal to quasi-crystal occurs with changing magnetic field and temperature.

The transition depends on the sample size and boundary conditions.

Abstract

There seems to be a one to one correspondence between the phases of atomic and molecular matter (AMOM) and vortex matter (VM) in superfluids and superconductors. Crystals, liquids and glasses have been experimentally observed in both AMOM and VM. Here, we propose a vortex quasi-crystal state which can be stabilized due to boundary and surface energy effects for samples of special shapes and sizes. For finite sized pentagonal samples, it is proposed that a phase transition between a vortex crystal and a vortex quasi-crystal occurs as a function of magnetic field and temperature as the sample size is reduced.