arXiv subjects

Martin Speight

Publications and source records attributed to Martin Speight.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Shape modes of $\mathbb{C}P^1$ vortices

In this paper we investigate the existence of internal modes of vortices in the gauged $\mathbb{C}P^1$ sigma model. We develop a clean geometric formalism that highlights the symmetries of the Jacobi operator, obtained from the second variation of the energy functional. The formalism and subsequent results fundamentally rely on the Bogomol'nyi decomposition of the energy functional, and can therefore be extended to other models with such a decomposition. We prove the existence of at least one shape mode for a general $\mathbb{C}P^1$ vortex solution on $\mathbb{R}^2$, and find numerically the shape modes and corresponding frequencies of a radially symmetric vortex. A surprising result is that the shape mode eigenvalues are very close to the scattering threshold, suggesting weakly bound shape modes could be characteristic of the $\mathbb{C}P^1$ model.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Towards a universal phase diagram of planar chiral magnets

In planar chiral magnets, the competition of the positive definite Heisenberg exchange and Zeeman energies with the indefinite Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) energy allows for the possibility of negative energy ground states, and leads to an intricate dependence of the ground states on the parameters of the theory. In this paper, we consider arbitrary spiralization tensors for the DMI interaction and arbitrary directions for the external magnetic field, and study the nature of the ground states in this parameter space, using a combination of analytical and numerical methods. Classifying ground states by their symmetry into ferromagnetic (invariant under under arbitrary translations in the plane), spiral (invariant under arbitrary translations in one direction) and skyrmion lattice ground states (invariant under a two dimensional lattice group), we give a complete description of the phase diagram of this class of theories.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Short range intervortex forces

An explicit formula for the interaction energy of $n$ vortices in the abelian Higgs (or Ginzburg-Landau) model is derived, valid in the regime where all vortices are close to one another. An immediate consequence of this formula is that the interaction energy of a vortex pair with separation $d$ varies as $d^4$, not $d^2$. The formula contains $n-1$ real coefficients which are fixed by certain spectral data of the Jacobi operator of the cocentred $n$-vortex. The coefficients are computed numerically for $n=2$ and $n=3$ for couplings $0.1\leq λ\leq 2.5$. The resulting short range interaction potentials are compared with the results of full field theory simulations for $λ=0.5$ and $λ=2$, with excellent agreement at small to moderate vortex separation.

hep-th↗

arXiv2025

Demagnetization in micromagnetics: magnetostatic self-interactions of bulk chiral magnetic skyrmions

We develop a theoretical and numerical framework for three-dimensional bulk chiral magnets that includes the full magnetostatic dipole-dipole interaction and its back-reaction on the magnetization. Assuming translational invariance along one spatial direction, we analyze the effect of dipolar interactions on three Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya interaction (DMI) terms -- Dresselhaus, Rashba, and Heusler -- corresponding to Bloch, N\'eel, and antiskyrmion textures. In the absence of the dipolar interaction, these three DMI terms are gauge-equivalent and yield degenerate skyrmion energies. Incorporating the non-local dipole-dipole interaction breaks this degeneracy: Bloch skyrmions remain unaffected, N\'eel skyrmions shrink slightly, and Heusler antiskyrmions lose axial symmetry and stabilize into square-lattice crystals. The system is solved using a non-local numerical relaxation method that self-consistently computes the magnetostatic potential from Poisson's equation. Our results show that long-range dipolar interactions can stabilize bulk antiskyrmion crystals in translationally invariant three-dimensional chiral magnets.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Vortex lattices and critical fields in anisotropic superconductors

A method is developed to compute minimal energy vortex lattices in a general Ginzburg-Landau model of a superconductor subjected to an applied magnetic field. The model may have any number of components and may be spatially anisotropic. The novelty of this method is that it makes no assumptions about the orientation of the vortex lines or the period vectors of the lattice's unit cell: these are all determined dynamically. Methods to compute the first and second critical magnetic fields, $H_{c_1}$ and $H_{c_2}$, in this class of models are also developed. These methods are applied to a simple anisotropic single-component model, and to an anisotropic two-component model of strong current theoretical interest (a so-called $s+id$ model). It is found, in both cases, that at low applied field the vortex lines can tilt very significantly away from the direction of the applied field (by as much as $40^\circ$ for the single-component and $30^\circ$ for the $s+id$ model). The optimal lattice in the $s+id$ model is qualitatively very different from the conventional triangular Abrikosov lattice, exhibiting a phase transition from a system of Skyrmion chains when the external field is orthogonal to the basal plane to a deformed Abrikosov lattice when applied in the basal plane.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2024

BPS Skyrme models and contact geometry

A Skyrme type energy functional for maps $\varphi$ from an oriented Riemannian 3-manifold $M$ to a contact 3-manifold $N$ is defined, generalizing the BPS Skyrme energy of Ferreira and Zakrzewski. This energy has a topological lower bound, attained by solutions of a first order self-duality equation which we call (strong) Beltrami maps. In the case where $N$ is the 3-sphere, we show that the original Ferreira-Zakrzewski model (which has $N=S^3$ with the standard contact structure) can have no BPS solutions on $M=S^3$ with $|\mathrm{deg}(\varphi)|>1$ if the coupling constant has the lowest admissible value.

math.DG↗

arXiv2024

Skyrmion crystals stabilized by $ω$-mesons

We investigate the ground state crystalline structure of nuclear matter in the $ω$-meson variant of the Skyrme model. After minimizing energy with respect to variations of both the Skyrme field and the period lattice, we find four distinct periodic solutions which are similar to those found in the standard Skyrme model. We use these crystals to calculate coefficients in the Bethe--Weizsäcker semi-empirical mass formula and the compression modulus of infinite nuclear matter, and find a significant improvement as compared with other variants of the Skyrme model.

hep-th↗

arXiv2023

Skyrme crystals with massive pions

The crystalline structure of nuclear matter is investigated in the standard Skyrme model with massive pions. A semi-analytic method is developed to determine local minima of the static energy functional with respect to variations of both the field and the period lattice of the crystal. Four distinct Skyrme crystals are found. Two of these were already known -- the cubic lattice of half-skyrmions and the $α$-particle crystal -- but two are new. These new solutions have lower energy per baryon number and less symmetry, being periodic with respect to trigonal but not cubic period lattices. Minimal energy crystals are also constructed under the constraint of constant baryon density, and its shown that the two new non-cubic crystals tend to chain and multi-wall solutions at low densities.

hep-th↗

arXiv2023

Symmetries, Length Scales, Magnetic Response and Skyrmion Chains in Nematic Superconductors

Nematic systems are two component superconductors that break rotational symmetry, but exhibit a mixed symmetry that couples spatial rotations and phase difference rotations. We show that a consequence of this induced spatial anisotropy is mixed normal modes, that is the linear response to a small perturbation of the system about its ground state, generally couples magnetic and condensate degrees of freedom. We will study the effect of mode mixing on the magnetic response of a nematic system as the strength of applied field is increased. In general we show that the coupled modes generate magnetic field perpendicular to the applied field, causing the magnetic response to spontaneously twist direction. We will study this for the Meissner effect with weak fields and also for stronger applied fields, which produce a mixture of Skyrmions and composite vortices, forming orientation dependent bound states. We will also calculate the anisotropies of the resulting first and second critical fields $H_{c_1}$ and $H_{c_2}$. The Skyrmion lattices for $H_{c_1} \leq H \leq H_{c_2}$ in nematic superconductors are shown to be structurally complicated, in contrast to the triangular or square vortex lattices in conventional superconductors. For low fields the magnetic response of the system involves a loosely bound collection of parallel Skyrmion chains. As the external field is increased the chains attract one another, causing a transition where the unit cell becomes triangular for high applied fields. This unique Skyrmion lattice and the magnetic twisting are clear indicators that could be used experimentally to identify materials that exhibit nematic superconductivity. To obtain these results we develop and present a novel method to find the unit cell of a vortex lattice that can be applied to other kinds of superconducting systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Magnetic response of nematic superconductors: skyrmion stripes and their signatures in muon spin relaxation experiments

We investigate the magnetic response of nematic superconductors, presenting a new approach to find vortex and skyrmion structures beyond symmetry-constraining ansätze. Using this approach we show that nematic superconductors form distinctive skyrmion stripes. Our approach lends itself to accurate determination of the field distribution for muon spin rotation probes. We use this to show that the skyrmion structure manifests as a double peak in the field distribution, markedly different from the signal of standard vortex lattices.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Magnetic field behaviour in $s+is$ and $s+id$ superconductors: twisting of applied and spontaneous fields

We consider magnetic field screening and spontaneous magnetic fields in $s+is$ and $s+id$ superconductors both analytically and numerically. We show that in general, the linearized model couples the moduli of order parameters to the magnetic modes. This causes magnetic field screening that does not follow the standard exponential law and hence cannot be characterized by a single length scale: the London penetration length. We also demonstrate that the resulting linear mixed modes, correctly predict spontaneous fields and their orientation. We show that these mixed modes cause external fields to decay non-monotonically in the bulk. This is observed as the magnetic field twisting direction, up to an angle of $π/2$, as it decays in the nonlinear model. Finally, we demonstrate that there are two non-degenerate domain wall solutions for any given parameter set. These are distinguished by either clockwise or anti-clockwise interpolation of the inter-component phase difference, each producing a different solution for the other fields. However, only domain wall solutions in $s+id$ systems exhibit magnetic field twisting.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Intervortex forces in competing-order superconductors

The standard Ginzburg-Landau model of competing-order superconductors is studied. It is observed that this model possesses two distinct species of vortex, and consequently has two distinct integer valued topological charges. A simple point particle model of long range forces between (anti)vortices of any species is developed and compared with numerical simulations of the full field theory, excellent agreement being found. Some of the results are quite counterintuitive. For example, a parameter regime exists where vortices of one species repel both vortices and antivortices of the other.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2020

Skyrmions and spin waves in frustrated ferromagnets at low applied magnetic field

A continuum model of frustrated ferromagnets is analyzed in detail in the regime of low applied magnetic field, $H_0<1/4$, where the ground state is a spatially varying conical spiral. By changing variables to a corotating spin field, the model is reformulated as a gauged sigma model in a fixed background gauge, allowing the construction of stable isolated Skyrmions, and stable multi-Skyrmion clusters, which approach the conical ground state at spatial infinity. Owing to the spatial anisotropy induced by the ground state, these Skyrmions exhibit only discrete symmetries, and are of neither Néel nor Bloch type. These Skyrmions are continuously connected to the more familar solutions in the high field regime ($H_0>1/4$), acquiring axial symmetry in the limit $H_0\rightarrow 1/4$. The propagation of small amplitude spin waves through the conical ground state is also analyzed and is found to depend strongly on both $H_0$ and propagation direction relative to the ground state. In contrast to spin waves in the high field regime ($H_0>1/4$) there is no spectral gap: waves may propagate with any angular frequency.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Magnetic signatures of domain walls in $s+is$ and $s+id$ superconductors: observability and what that can tell us about the superconducting order parameter

One of the defining features of spontaneously broken time-reversal symmetry (BTRS) is the existence of domain walls, the detection of which would be strong evidence for such systems. There is keen interest in BTRS currently, in part, due to recent muon spin rotation experiments, which have pointed towards $\textrm{Ba}_{1-x}\textrm{K}_x\textrm{Fe}_2\textrm{As}_2$ exhibiting a remarkable case of $s$-wave superconductivity with spontaneously broken time-reversal symmetry. A key question, however, is how to differentiate between the different theoretical models which describe such a state. Two particularly popular choices of model are $s+is$ and $s+id$ superconducting states. In this paper, we obtain solutions for domain walls in $s+is$ and $s+id$ systems, including the effects of lattice anisotropies. We show that, in general, both models exhibit spontaneous magnetic field, that extend along the entire length of the domain wall. We demonstrate the qualitative difference between the magnetic signatures of $s+is$ and $s+id$ domain walls and propose a procedure to extract the superconducting pairing symmetry from the magnetic-field response of domain walls.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2019

Chiral p-wave superconductors have complex coherence and magnetic field penetration lengths

We show that in superconductors that break time reversal symmetry and have anisotropy, such as p+ip materials, all order parameters and magnetic modes are mixed. Excitation of the gap fields produces an excitation of the magnetic field and vice versa. Correspondingly the long-range decay of the magnetic field and order parameter are in general given by the same exponent. Thus one cannot characterize p+ip superconductors by the usual coherence and magnetic field penetration lengths. Instead the system has normal modes that are associated with linear combinations of magnetic fields, moduli of and phases of the order parameter components. Each such normal mode has its own decay length that plays the role of a hybridized coherence/magnetic field penetration length. On a large part of the parameter space these exponents are complex. Therefore the system in general has damped oscillatory decay of the magnetic field accompanied by damped oscillatory variation of the order parameter fields.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2017

Type-1.5 superconductivity in multicomponent systems

In general a superconducting state breaks multiple symmetries and, therefore, is characterized by several different coherence lengths $ξ_i$, $i=1,...,N$. Moreover in multiband material even superconducting states that break only a single symmetry are nonetheless described, under certain conditions by multi-component theories with multiple coherence lengths. As a result of that there can appear a state where some coherence lengths are larger and some are smaller than the magnetic field penetration length $λ$: $ξ_1\leq ξ_2... < \sqrt{2}λ<ξ_M\leq...ξ_N$. That state was recently termed "type-1.5" superconductivity. This breakdown of type-1/type-2 dichotomy is rather generic near a phase transition between superconducting states with different symmetries. The examples include the transitions between $U(1)$ and $U(1)\times U(1)$ states or between $U(1)$ and $U(1)\times Z_2$ states. The later example is realized in systems that feature transition between s-wave and $s+is$ states. The extra fundamental length scales have many physical consequences. In particular in these regimes vortices can attract one another at long range but repel at shorter ranges. Such a system can form vortex clusters in low magnetic fields. The vortex clustering in the type-1.5 regime gives rise to many physical effects, ranging from macroscopic phase separation in domains of different broken symmetries, to unusual transport properties.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2016

A point particle model of lightly bound skyrmions

A simple model of the dynamics of lightly bound skyrmions is developed in which skyrmions are replaced by point particles, each carrying an internal orientation. The model accounts well for the static energy minimizers of baryon number $1\leq B\leq 8$ obtained by numerical simulation of the full field theory. For $9\leq B\leq 23$, a large number of static solutions of the point particle model are found, all closely resembling size $B$ subsets of a face centred cubic lattice, with the particle orientations dictated by a simple colouring rule. Rigid body quantization of these solutions is performed, and the spin and isospin of the corresponding ground states extracted. As part of the quantization scheme, an algorithm to compute the symmetry group of an oriented point cloud, and to determine its corresponding Finkelstein-Rubinstein constraints, is devised.

hep-th↗

arXiv2015

Skyrmions with low binding energies

Nuclear binding energies are investigated in two variants of the Skyrme model: the first replaces the usual Skyrme term with a term that is sixth order in derivatives, and the second includes a potential that is quartic in the pion fields. Solitons in the first model are shown to deviate significantly from ansätze previously assumed in the literature. The binding energies obtained in both models are lower than those obtained from the standard Skyrme model, and those obtained in the second model are close to the experimental values.

hep-th↗