Vortons in the SO(5) model of high-temperature superconductivity

Abstract

It has been shown that superconducting vortices with antiferromagnetic cores arise within Zhang’s SO(5) model of high-temperature supercondictivity. Similar phenomena where the symmetry is not restored in the core of the vortex were discussed by Witten in the case of cosmic strings. It was also suggested that such strings can form stable vortons, which are closed loops of such vortices. Motivated by this analogy, in following we will show that loops of such vortices in the SO(5) model of high-Tc superconductivity can exist as classically stable objects, stabilized by the presence of conserved charges trapped on the vortex core. These objects carry an angular momentum which counteracts the effect of the string tension that causes the loops to shrink. The existence of such quasiparticles, which are called vortons, could be interesting for the physics of high-temperature superconductors. We also speculate that the phase transition between superconducting and antiferromagnetic phases at zero external magnetic field when the doping parameter changes is associated with vortons.

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