Vortex-glass phases in type-II superconductors ∗

Abstract

A review is given on the theory of vortex-glass phases in impure type-II superconductors in an external field. We begin with a brief discussion of the effects of thermal fluctuations on the spontaneously broken U(1) and translation symmetries, on the global phase diagram and on the critical behaviour. Introducing disorder we restrict ourselves to the experimentally most relevant case of weak uncorrelated randomness which is known to destroy the long-ranged translational order of the Abrikosov lattice in three dimensions. Elucidating possible residual glassy ordered phases, we distinguish between positional and phase-coherent vortex glasses. The study of the behaviour of isolated vortex lines and their generalization – directed elastic manifolds – in a random potential introduces further important concepts for the characterization of glasses. The discussion of elastic vortex glasses, i.e., topologically ordered dislocation-free positional glasses in two and