Vortex versus antivortex
Originally shared by John Baez
Vortex versus antivortex
No, I'm not trying to hypnotize you! These animations by Greg Egan show a vortex at left and an antivortex at right - two patterns that frequently occur in a 2-dimensional magnet if the spins are forced to lie in a plane. Kosterlitz and Thouless just won the Nobel prize for their work on such magnets.
The pictures are changing with time, with each little vector rotating at a constant rate - but that's just to show that there are many different possible vortex configurations, and also many different antivortex configurations.
For a better explanation, read my article:
https://johncarlosbaez.wordpress.com/2016/10/07/kosterlitz-thouless-transition/
I just wanted to show you these cool animations, which Egan added to the comments. Also check out Simon Willerton's animations and Simon Burton's simulation!
#physics