In high-temperature superconductors, quantized vortex filaments can be twisted up into a DNA-like double helix. An experiment is proposed to test how easily these vortex lines cut through each other.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Tomlin, S. Nature 425, 548 (2003).
Safar, H. et. al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 3370–3373 (1992).
Zeldov, E. et al. Nature 375, 373–377 (1995).
Olson Reichhardt, C. J. & Hastings, M. B. Phys. Rev. Lett. 92, 157002 (2004).
Crabtree, C. W. & Nelson, D. R. Physics Today April, 38–45 (1997).
Nelson, D. R. Defects and Geometry in Condensed Matter Physics Chs 7, 8 (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2002).
Carraro, C. & Fisher, D. S. Phys. Rev. B 51, 534–538 (1995).
Wadas, S., Fritz, O., Hug, H. J. & Guentherodt, H. -J. Z. Phys. B 88, 317–320 (1992).
Bustamante, C., Bryant, Z. & Smither, S. B. Nature 421, 423–427 (2003).
Strick, T., Croquette, V. & Bensimon, D. Nature 404, 901–904 (2000).
Hatano, N. & Nelson, D. R. Phys. Rev. B 56, 8651–8673 (1997).
Essevaz-Roulet, B., Bockelmann, U. & Heslot, F. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 94, 11935–11939 (1997).
López, D. et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 80, 1070–1073 (1998).
Fisher, D. S., Fisher, M. P. A. & Huse, D. Phys. Rev. B 43, 130–159 (1991).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nelson, D. Vortices weave a tangled web. Nature 430, 839–840 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/430839a
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/430839a
- Springer Nature Limited
This article is cited by
-
Complex Vortex Configuration in a Disk with a Higher/Lower Critical Temperature Superconducting Geometrical Central Defect
Journal of Low Temperature Physics (2015)