Counting defects in an instantaneous quench

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to study the formation of defects in a non equilibrium second order phase transition by means of a numerical solution of the full dynamical equations, and to compare the results with theoretical predictions to be found in the literature. We simulate an instantaneous quench to zero temperature in a type II superconductor, measuring the actual density of defects and its theoretically expected value as a function of time. We also characterize quantitatively some aspects of the out of equilibrium phase transition.