1997/03/17 by Yadin Y. Goldschmidt, Goldschmidt, Yadin Y.
Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed Matter (cond-mat) #FOS: Physical sciences #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum Chromodynamics and Particle Interactions #Theoretical and Computational Physics #cond-mat
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.cond-mat/9703166
21 pages in RevTeX format + 2 eps figs included This is the long version of the paper submitted previously with the same title. e-mail: [email protected]
arxiv created 1997/03/17 · openalex publication_date 1997/03/17 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We study the effects of weak point and columnar disorder on the vortex-lattice phase transitions in high temperature superconductors. The combined effect of thermal fluctuations and of quenched disorder is investigated using a simplified cage model. For point disorder we use the mapping to a directed polymer in a disordered medium in 2+1 dimensions. For columnar disorder the problem is mapped into a quantum particle in a harmonic + random potential. We use the variational approximation to show that point and columnar disorder have an opposite effect on the position of the melting line as is observed experimentally. For point disorder, replica symmetry breaking plays a role at the transition into a vortex glass at low temperatures.