Vortices give guidance

 

The Nobel Prize in Physics 2003

       
 

Abrikosov
Alexei A. Abrikosov
Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois, USA
 

Landau’s pupil, Alexei Abrikosov, realised almost immediately that Ginzburg and Landau’s theory can also describe those superconductors (type II) that can coexist with strong magnetic fields. According to Abrikosov’s theory this occurs because the superconductor allows the magnetic field to enter through vortices in the electron superfluid. These vortices can form regular structures, Abrikosov lattices, but disordered structures can also occur.

Abrikosov lattice
An Abrikosov lattice of vortices in a
type-II superconductor. The magnetic field passes through the vortices.

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MLA style: Vortices give guidance. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2024. Thu. 28 Mar 2024. <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/physics/2003/9527-vortices-give-guidance/>

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