*Reference:*
*http://arxiv.org/pdf/1105.5375v2.pdf <http://arxiv.org/pdf/1105.5375v2.pdf>* *Topological Superconductivity, Topological Confinement and the Vortex Quantum Hall Effect* Miley has detected superconductivity in nano cavities. Where does this superconductivity come from. According to the reference, when photons are confined in a vortex, they acquire mass as the magnetic field condenses into stings. The vortex breaks loose from is anti vortex partner above a critical temperature. These vortexes are central to the formation of topological superconductivity. The BF term is a cosmologic based term coming from general relativity FYI on BF(this is over my head at this juncture): http://arxiv.org/pdf/q-alg/9507006v1.pdf Quote from the reference: In this paper we have used the Julia-Toulouse mechanism to derive the effective action for the electromagnetic field in the topological superconductor and topological confinement phase of 3D topological states of matter characterized by the presence in their action of a topological BF term. This allowed us to derive what is the fate of the photon in these new states of matter. In conventional superconductors, photons acquire a mass through spontaneous symmetry breaking. *In the topological superconducting phase, instead, mass arises as a consequence of quantum mechanical condensation of topological excitations. * The antisymmetric Kalb-Ramond field, that embodies a single scalar degree of freedom, is ”eaten” by the original photon that become thus massive. In the confinement phase instead, is the new degrees of freedom arising from the condensation of topological defects that ”eats” the original photon to become a massive two-form Kalb-Ramond field: this is the stueckelberg mechanism which is dual to the Higgs mechanism. No spontaneous symmetry breaking is required in these topological mechanisms. In the oblique confinement phases, in which the condensed magnetic vortices also carry electric field an interesting effect occurs: an additional BF term is present in the effective electromagnetic action. This is the descendant of the original θ-term of the parent strong topological insulator, and gives rise to a vortex quantum Hall effect for dyonic strings.
