Topological Order in the Vortex Glass Phase of High-Temperature Superconductors

TL;DR

This paper investigates the stability of the vortex glass phase in disordered layered high-temperature superconductors, demonstrating that topological order persists over a wide parameter range using scaling and variational methods.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of topological defect effects and establishes a Lindemann-like criterion for the stability of the vortex glass phase.

Findings

Topological order is maintained over a broad parameter range.

Scaling and variational calculations support the stability.

A simple criterion quantifies the stability regime.

Abstract

The stability of a vortex glass phase with quasi-long-range positional order is examined for a disordered layered superconductor. The role of topological defects is investigated using a detailed scaling argument, supplemented by a variational calculation. The results indicate that topological order is preserved for a {\em wide range} of parameters in the vortex glass phase. The extent of the stability regime is given in terms of a simple Lindemann-like criterion.