The possibility of a new thermodynamic phase in the mixed state of bulk, disordered, type-II superconductors is suggested: a vortex-glass superconductor. This phase lacks conventional off-diagonal long-ranged order, yet is argued to be a true superconductor with vanishing dc resistance. In this phase metastable currents are predicted to decay as (lnt${)}^{\mathrm{-}1/\mathrm{\mu }}$ with μ(≤1) a universal exponent. Relevance to experiments on bulk high-${\mathrm{T}}_{\mathrm{c}}$ oxides is mentioned.

• Received 31 October 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.62.1415

This article appears in the following collection:

Heating up of Superconductors

This collection marks the 30th anniversary of the discovery of high-temperature superconductors. The papers selected highlight some of the advances that have been made to date, both in understanding why these compounds behave in the way they do, and in utilizing them in applications.