Do Vortices Entangle?

Abstract

We propose an experiment for directly constructing and locally probing topologically entangled states of superconducting vortices which can be performed with present-day technology. Calculations using an elastic string vortex model indicate that as the pitch (the winding angle divided by the vertical distance) increases, the vortices approach each other. At values of the pitch higher than a maximum value the entangled state becomes unstable to collapse via a singularity of the model. We provide predicted experimental signatures for both vortex entanglement and vortex cutting. The local probe we propose can also be used to explore a wide range of other quantities.

4 pages, 3 postscript figures

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Cited by in corpus (15)

• Mechanics of Individual, Isolated Vortices in a Cuprate Superconductor
• Controlled Manipulation of Individual Vortices in a Superconductor
• Magnetic skyrmion braids
• Magnetic-force-microscope study of interlayer "kinks" in individual vortices in underdoped cuprate YBa${}_2$Cu${}_3$O${}_{6+x}$ superconductor
• Braiding Majorana Fermions and Creating Quantum Logic Gates with Vortices on a Periodic Pinning Structure
• Critical currents in vicinal YBa${}_2$Cu${}_3$O${}_{7-\delta }$ films
• Langevin simulations of the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of the vortex glass in high-temperature superconductors
• Viscous Decoupling Transitions for Individually Dragged Particles in Systems with Quenched Disorder
• Individual Vortex Manipulation and Stick-Slip Motion in Periodic Pinning Arrays
• Attractive interaction between superconducting vortices in tilted magnetic fields
• Unzipping Vortices in Type-II Superconductors
• Superconducting Vortices induced Periodic Magnetoresistance Oscillations in Single Crystal Au Nanowires
• Unzipping flux lines from extended defects in type-II superconductors
• Molecular Dynamics of pancake vortices with realistic interactions: Observing the vortex lattice melting transition
• Generalized Nonequilibrium Quantum Transport of Spin and Pseudospins: Entanglements and Topological Phases