Nielsen-Olesen vortex

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In theoretical physics, a Nielsen-Olesen vortex is a point-like object localized in two spatial dimensions or, equivalently, a classical solution of field theory with the same property. This particular solution occurs if the configuration space of scalar fields contains non-contractible circles. A circle surrounding the vortex at infinity may be "wrapped" once on the other circle in the configuration space. A configuration with this non-trivial topological property is called the Nielsen-Olsen vortex, after Holger Bech Nielsen and Poul Olesen (1973).

[edit] References

H. B. Nielsen and P. Olesen (1973). "Vortex-line models for dual strings". Nuclear Physics B 61: 45–61. doi:10.1016/0550-3213(73)90350-7.