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Is there a glass transition in planar vortex systems?
1Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität zu Köln, Zülpicherstrasse 77, 50937 Köln, Germany.
Physical Review Letters
|June 6, 2003
Summary
Planar vortex arrays with quenched disorder exhibit glassy behavior. A glass transition occurs only with finite vortex persistence length, indicating these systems are likely always glassy in superconducting films.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Statistical Mechanics
Background:
- Planar vortex arrays are crucial in understanding phenomena like superconductivity.
- Quenched disorder significantly impacts the phase behavior of such systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the criteria for a glass transition in planar vortex arrays with quenched disorder.
- To investigate the influence of vortex interactions and persistence length on glassy behavior.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing the replica Bethe ansatz for self-avoiding vortices.
- Calculating the exact quenched average free energy and effective stiffness.
Main Results:
- The study found excellent agreement between theoretical results and numerical simulations of related models.
- A glass transition is shown to exist only for a finite vortex persistence length (xi).
- For vanishing persistence length (xi-->0), the system remains in a glassy phase at all temperatures.
Conclusions:
- Planar vortex arrays in superconducting films are indicated to be in a glassy state at most temperatures.
- The presence of a finite vortex persistence length is essential for observing a glass transition.