Two-dimensional Coulomb gas, vortex unbinding, and superfluid-superconducting films

Journal Article · Thu Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 1987 · Rev. Mod. Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/RevModPhys.59.1001· OSTI ID:5957577

Minnhagen, P

The article reviews the two-dimensional Coulomb gas model and its connection to vortex fluctuations for a two-dimensional superfluid. The neutral and non-neutral versions of the Coulomb gas are discussed and the relation to an equivalent sine-Gordon field theory is given. The charge-unbinding picture is used to elucidate some essential properties of the Coulomb gas. Derivations of approximate renormalization equations are sketched and the phase transition for the neutral two-dimensional Coulomb gas is described. The Kosterlitz renormalization-group equations are reviewed in some detail. The vortex-Coulomb gas charge analogy is carefully explained. The connections between experiments for /sup 4/He films and superconducting films and the neutral and non-neutral versions of the Coulomb gas are outlined using concepts like the universal jump and the Coulomb gas scaling relations. The properties of a dynamical version of the Coulomb gas, corresponding to vortex dynamics, are discussed and related to experiments. An analogy with Maxwell's equations in two dimensions is also given.

• Research Organization: Department of Theoretical Physics, Ume University, S-901 87 Ume, Sweden
• OSTI ID: 5957577
• Journal Information: Rev. Mod. Phys.; (United States), Vol. 59:4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
FERMI GAS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
HELIUM II
VORTICES
SUPERCONDUCTING FILMS
COULOMB FIELD
MAXWELL EQUATIONS
PARTITION FUNCTIONS
RENORMALIZATION
REVIEWS
SCALING LAWS
SINE-GORDON EQUATION
SUPERFLUIDITY
THIN FILMS
TWO-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ELECTRIC FIELDS
EQUATIONS
EVEN-EVEN NUCLEI
FIELD EQUATIONS
FILMS
FLUIDS
FUNCTIONS
GASES
HELIUM 4
HELIUM ISOTOPES
ISOTOPES
LIGHT NUCLEI
NUCLEI
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
QUANTUM FLUIDS
STABLE ISOTOPES
657000* - Theoretical & Mathematical Physics
656100 - Condensed Matter Physics- Superconductivity
640450 - Fluid Physics- Superfluidity