Vortices Freeze like Window Glass: the Vortex Molasses Scenario

TL;DR

This paper introduces the Vortex Molasses scenario, describing a vortex freezing process where timescales grow rapidly but spatial correlations do not diverge, challenging the traditional Vortex Glass theory.

Contribution

The study provides numerical evidence supporting the Vortex Molasses scenario, contrasting it with the Vortex Glass theory through finite size scaling analysis.

Findings

Timescales grow rapidly below crossover temperature

Spatial correlation length xi stops diverging

Vortex Molasses scenario differs from Vortex Glass theory

Abstract

We overview several recent experimental and numerical observations, which are at odds with the Vortex Glass theory of the freezing of disordered vortex matter. To reinvestigate the issue, we performed numerical simulations of the overdamped London - Langevin model, and use finite size scaling to analyze the data. Upon approaching the transition the initial Vortex Glass type criticality is arrested at some crossover temperature. Below this temperature the timescales continue growing very quickly, consistent with the Vogel-Fulcher form, while the spatial correlation length xi stops exhibiting any observable divergence. We call this mode of freezing the Vortex Molasses scenario.