Quantum tunneling of vortices in two-dimensional condensates

Journal Article · Tue Aug 01 04:00:00 EDT 2006 · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVB.74.064511· OSTI ID:20853495

Auerbach, Assa ^[1]; Arovas, Daniel P ^[2]; Ghosh, Sankalpa ^[3]

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1. Physics Department, Technion, Haifa 32000 (Israel)
2. Department of Physics, University of California at San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093 (United States)
3. Physics Department, Okayama University, Okayama-700-8530 (Japan)

The tunneling rate t{sub v}/({Dirac_h}/2{pi}) of a vortex between two pinning sites (of strength V separated by d) is computed using the Bogoliubov expansion of vortex wave-functions overlap. For BCS vortices, tunneling is suppressed beyond a few Fermi wavelengths. For Bose condensates, t{sub v}=V exp(-{pi}n{sub s}d{sup 2}/2), where n{sub s} is the boson density. The analogy between vortex hopping in a superconducting film and two-dimensional electrons in a perpendicular magnetic field is exploited. We derive the variable range hopping temperature, below which vortex tunneling contributes to magnetoresistance. Using the 'quantum Hall insulator' analogy we argue that the Hall conductivity (rather than the inverse Hall resistivity) measures the effective carrier density in domains of mobile vortices. Details of vortex wave functions and overlap calculations, and a general derivation of the Magnus coefficient for any wave function on the sphere, are provided in appendixes.

• OSTI ID: 20853495
• Journal Information: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Journal Name: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 74; ISSN 1098-0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
BCS THEORY
BOSE-EINSTEIN CONDENSATION
BOSONS
CARRIER DENSITY
ELECTRON GAS
ELECTRONS
HALL EFFECT
MAGNETIC FIELDS
MAGNETIC FLUX
MAGNETORESISTANCE
SUPERCONDUCTING FILMS
THIN FILMS
TUNNEL EFFECT
VORTICES
WAVE FUNCTIONS
WAVELENGTHS