From piles of grains to piles of vortices

Eernesto Altshuler

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arXiv · 2109.02215

From piles of grains to piles of vortices

Eernesto Altshuler

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Abstract

One of the most thrilling features of Physics is the possibility to establish analogies between apparently distant areas. Here we explain the parallel between a pile of grains interacting mechanically with each other, and a "pile" of superconducting vortices. In both cases the macroscopic slope of the pile is maintained by a very nonlinear avalanche process. Furthermore, both types of piles logarithmically relax in time due to "agitational" or thermal effects, aiming at a state of equilibrium.

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Eernesto Altshuler. 2021-09-06. From piles of grains to piles of vortices. https://arxiv.org/abs/2109.02215

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