The pinning of vortex lines in very dilute superconductors

I. Kirschner; K. Martinás

doi:10.1007/bf03159783

The pinning of vortex lines in very dilute superconductors

Acta Physica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae ◽

10.1007/bf03159783 ◽

1982 ◽

Vol 53 (3-4) ◽

pp. 347-351

Author(s):

I. Kirschner ◽

K. Martinás

Keyword(s):

Vortex Lines

Download Full-text

Superfluid vortex-mediated mutual friction in non-homogeneous neutron star interiors

Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society ◽

10.1093/mnras/staa3097 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 499 (3) ◽

pp. 3690-3705

Author(s):

M Antonelli ◽

B Haskell

Keyword(s):

Neutron Star ◽

Normal Component ◽

Homogeneous Medium ◽

Outer Core ◽

Two Dimensions ◽

Pinning Force ◽

Mutual Friction ◽

Momentum Exchange ◽

Drag Forces ◽

Vortex Lines

ABSTRACT Understanding the average motion of a multitude of superfluid vortices in the interior of a neutron star is a key ingredient for most theories of pulsar glitches. In this paper, we propose a kinetic approach to compute the mutual friction force that is responsible for the momentum exchange between the normal and superfluid components in a neutron star, where the mutual friction is extracted from a suitable average over the motion of many vortex lines. As a first step towards a better modelling of the repinning and depinning processes of many vortex lines in a neutron star, we consider here only straight and non-interacting vortices: we adopt a minimal model for the dynamics of an ensemble of point vortices in two dimensions immersed in a non-homogeneous medium that acts as a pinning landscape. Since the degree of disorder in the inner crust or outer core of a neutron star is unknown, we compare the two possible scenarios of periodic and disordered pinscapes. This approach allows us to extract the mutual friction between the superfluid and the normal component in the star when, in addition to the usual Magnus and drag forces acting on vortex lines, also a pinning force is at work. The effect of disorder on the depinning transition is also discussed.

Download Full-text