Closed vortex state in 3D mesoscopic superconducting films under an applied transport current

By using the full 3D generalized time dependent Ginzbug-Landau equation we study a long superconducting film of finite width and thickness under an applied transport current. We show that, for sufficiently large thickness, the vortices and the antivortices become curved before they annihilate each other. As they approach the center of the sample, their ends combine, producing a single closed vortex. We also determine the critical values of the thickness for which the closed vortex sets in for different values of the Ginzburg-Ladau parameter. Finally, we propose a model of how to detect a closed vortex experimentally.
Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B